The Golden Keys
by D-D Dreamer
Summary: The man Lucy Heartfilia is about to marry is a mighty dark wizard. He's after the golden keys she inherits from her deceased mother. Having no other choice, she flees from home to stumble across Natsu Dragneel, another mysterious wizard, who's searching for her. In time, she learns that celestial wizards with golden keys are being targeted and Lucy has to find a way to survive. AU
1. Book I-Chapter 1

**A/N: My sister (AmityStarrlight) and I wrote this story awhile back and we posted it on Wattpad. After careful consideration, we decided to post on it on FF website since there are a lot of readers here. There are a lot more chapters to come. This story is a prequel to the trilogy "The Golden Keys." We hope you like and enjoy reading the chapters. :)**

 **Warning: The characters are ooc, especially Natsu and Lucy. Also, this fanfiction is an AU.**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Fairy Tail. However, we do own our original characters for this story.**

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 **The Golden Keys Origin**

 **Book I**

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There were some things Lucy Heartfilia could tolerate such as floral arranging pink daises and white roses together, personally hand picking gold trimmed plates with delicate champagne glasses, and advising what color table cloth and ornaments to set in the dining room in preparation for whatever big event her father was having during the night.

The things she couldn't tolerate the most was how she had to dress in the finest quality dresses, how she had to walk around her home with her back straight, that every hour she was booked with studies or learning how to act like a lady, and she had to quietly obey her father's every command.

 _A lady is not to be heard but to be viewed and admired_ , she recalled her father saying numerous times.

"My lady," a male's voice broke her from her reverie. She blinked her eyes as she saw the colors of pink and white from the bouquet she put together. She placed the flowers into a crystal vase before looking up at the butler. The man was tall and a bit on the slender side. His dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail and was sleeked back with gel. His attire was a black suit, which could almost pass as a business suit if it weren't for the long tail on the suit jacket or the bow fastened at the man's neck. He wore a white buttoned up shirt under his jacket. His black shoes were finely polished.

"My lady," he iterated.

"Yes, Sebastian," she answered him lightly. She slightly tilted her head in gesture to let him know she acknowledged him.

"Master demands that he sees you immediately." He bowed his head in respect and she almost huffed at his proper behavior. It wasn't like she didn't know Sebastian at all for him to act all formal with her. He was her friend and one of the closest servants she considered her family unlike her father. But her dad, Jude Heartfilia, had promoted Sebastian to butler to replace Hernan, the other butler who had retired. And Sebastian's personality changed. He was colder and more formal with her. He gave her the title of lady in the Heartfilia mansion and he commanded that all the other servants addressed her as such.

And then her world narrowed. Her family treated her like she was a stranger. She couldn't have breakfast in the kitchen with the house staff. She was forced to endure her dad's overwhelming presence in the dining room, like having to eat dinner with him wasn't enough torture. Whenever she walked into a room and greeted servants informally, they averted their attention to the floor. The most annoying part about the drastic changes around her home was how Sebastian hovered in the background. He followed her wherever she went and he stood outside her bedroom door when she had free time. She could no longer make trips to the garden or visit her mother's grave.

She became a prisoner in her own home.

"My lady. Are you ready?" he asked her.

Lucy nodded her head and let him show her the way. After all, in high society, ladies were to be accompanied at all times. They had no business with wandering in the woods alone or practicing magic. But Lucy did those things, which meant she wasn't qualified to be a lady. Did her father know? Maybe that's the reason he had Sebastian keep an eye on her.

The butler led her from a narrow hall to a grand staircase with a massive glittering chandelier hanging from a beautifully painted ceiling of angels. He walked upstairs, peering over his shoulder to make sure she was fine. Lucy halted for a moment to gather her dress in her hands. She lifted the skirts to reveal high-heeled sandals and slender calves and immediately she could see her father's disapproval shining in his pale eyes.

 _You're not acting like a lady_ , he would remark. _Your mother would be ashamed of you._

Only her mother died a few years ago and all the warmth and love he felt for his family vanished.

Quickly and gracefully as she could muster, she walked up the stairs until she was on the second floor. Sebastian was already waiting down the hall, standing before a grand doorway that led her to her father's side of the mansion. She kept the folds of skirts in her hands as she rushed unladylike to catch up with the butler. He turned his back on her and led her down a huge hallway lit by candles in the candle holders. And Lucy wondered why her father never used electric lamps since they could afford it.

She wasn't paying attention so she didn't notice when the butler stopped moving. She bumped into him and almost spiraled backwards if it weren't for his large hands grasping her shoulders. She looked up at him and she thought she saw a flash of the old Sebastian gazing back at her but when he backed away, she knew she was imagining things.

He knocked on the door. "Master, Lady Heartfilia is here to see you."

They heard somewhat of a grunt and he took it as an assent to open the door. As the door opened, he stepped back. He gave her enough room to let her into the office but he wasn't going to follow her inside. Instead, he was going to be lurking outside the door because her father believed that servants had no business knowing what engagements went on in his office.

The moment she entered her father's domain, she took little note of the fine furnishings in the room. What mattered was her father, Lord Heartfilia, was seated behind a magnificent desk that faced the door. Behind him was a huge window draped with red curtains laced with gold trimmings. The window let the light from the sun peer through it. The man's beard and his finely groomed hair shone in the sunlight as he raised his head at her entrance.

She froze in her spot. Her heart thundered in her ears. In front of her was a crumbled newspaper but the headline was clear enough for her to read it. 'Another Celestial Wizard Found Dead.'

 _What the heck is going on? Why does Father have such a newspaper?_ she thought.

Before Sebastian started watching her like a hawk, she used to walk down the friendly streets of her town and she knew the current events of Fiore. There was a rumor about celestial wizards being targeted. However, no one knew the reason for them being attacked. Lord Heartfilia always demanded that she kept her powers a secret. He went as far to fire her tutor because he taught her celestial magic. The house servants were forced to keep their mouths shut about her powers. As far as they knew, she no longer held such powers.

But she knew differently. Her mother was a celestial wizard and possessed three golden zodiac keys that summoned three strong sprits: Aquarius, Capricorn and Cancer. The golden keys were passed down to her without her father's consent. They were entrusted to her mother's closest keepers and when Lucy reached appropriate age to handle the spirits, she received them. Physically, she held three keys to her heart. They dangled from a gold chain and were tucked safely between the valley of her breasts. No one had permission to see her chain, not even her servants.

"My dear daughter. I was expecting you to come sooner."

Lucy fists tightened and she realized that she never let go of the skirts in her hands. She loosened her fingers from and felt the material fall around her feet.

"I only recently received a message from our butler," she said with a cool voice. It wasn't normal for her to be so relaxed around him. The moment someone let down his or her guard, Lord Heartfilia was quick to attack.

He leaned back in his chair, playing idly with the quill of his pen. "Then maybe I should let him go as I did to Hernan."

"No."

"He's just another servant like all the rest of them. But you, my dear, have far more worth than that."

Lucy clamped down the anger she felt boiling to the surface at the man's words. Loss of control would put her at a disadvantage.

"My apologies, Father, for my tardiness. It won't happen again."

His brows arched at her.

She realized he wasn't going to tell her the reason for her calling her into his office so she asked him. "Why do you insist on seeing me?"

Lord Heartfilia smiled lazily that Lucy almost retreated away from him. "As you know, there is a big event going on tonight. Important guests will gather from all different parts of Fiore and I want you to be on your best behavior."

"And what exactly are we celebrating?"

"You don't know why you're in charge of decorating for you own event?" he returned with another question.

"No, from what I gathered, it's your own event."

"Are you sure about that?" His eyes narrowed on her.

Lucy almost hesitated. Another thing she couldn't tolerate the most was being in her father's office. She was in his territory. Whoever he met, he played mind games with them and he was ruthless with it. Her intuition was on high alert -she saw no purpose as to why he insisted on seeing her and she couldn't think of a reason as to how the event related to her besides being his daughter.

Lord Heartfilia raised a hand to his desk. She stared incredulously at him until she saw a newspaper in his hand.

"Do you have any idea what this is?"

She shook her head. The print on the paper was too fine to read.

"There is an interesting article about another celestial wizard's death. His name is Callous Bero. Does that ring any bells for you?"

Lucy gasped and she suddenly collapsed on the floor. Mr. Bero was her celestial magic tutor until a few years ago. Tears gathered into the corner of her eyes and she fought to hold back a sob. She could feel the heavy weight of her father's stare. She imagined the contempt in his eyes.

But there was the sickening pleasure that he was capable to bring someone else to their knees, radiating from his aura.

"And I heard you haven't been following the rules in this house." There was a clicking noise of his tongue hitting his teeth in a condemning matter.

Lucy daringly looked up at her father, but she could not mask the emotions she felt towards him. She didn't say anything and intently listened to her father's words.

"So for your improper behavior, I decided to move along with a business proposal. It will help expand my financial assets and you will have a secure home. It's a win-win situation for the both of us." Lord Heartfilia tilted his head while his laughter roared throughout the room. He extended his hands in triumph.

"What did you do, Father?"

"Nothing really," he answered. He slowly stood up from his chair.

Lucy knew about her father's habits and when he said he did nothing, it was something big. It was his "nothingness" that expanded his business in the Heartfilia railroads, his merchandise in the money guilds, and the Heartfilia estate. The man's ambitions had no limit.

There was a knock on the door that startled Lucy. Her father walked around the magnificent desk and called for the servant to enter. She rose to her feet as gracefully as she could while she wiped away the moisture at the corner of her eyes. She wasn't astonished to see Sebastian moving toward the lord with an envelope in his hand.

"For you, Master," the butler replied.

"It's about time." He tore open the envelope and read the contents in the letter. His smile turned menacing. "Tonight will be a grand occasion, indeed. Lucy, my dearest daughter, I need you to finish the preparations for tonight. We are expecting a very important guest."

"Is it someone I know?" Lucy asked, curious and at the same time feeling dread build in the pit of her stomach.

"Yes and no. You know him more by reputation than by face."

"Who is it?"

Her father swiveled on his feet. Slowly, he strolled past his desk to face the large window. The sun cast his shadow along the polished marbled floor. His hands clasped behind his back. A breath was stuck in her chest. She remembered how he stood in the same posture before the window countless times and each time it was a gesture of her dismissal.

"Sebastian, take Lady Heartfilia back to what she was doing. She needs to finish her preparations for the arrival of her fiance tonight."

The butler bowed to her father. He shifted over to Lucy to gently grab her arms and haul her out of the office. But Lucy didn't know what was happening around her. Her mind was still trying to register the fact that she was getting ready for an engagement; her engagement.

Then a thought crossed her mind. It was enough to send chills through her body. She was only fifteen and she was getting married to a complete stranger.


	2. Book I-Chapter 2

"Who would have thought it came down to this?" she asked the painting of her mother. The oval shaped portrait hung across her four-poster bed. The wooden frame was finely carved with flowers. "What is father hoping to gain? If only you were alive, mom..."

She didn't know how to end her sentence. Emotions welled in her chest that left an indescribable feeling. In fact, words couldn't portray how she felt and the situation she was put in; a fifteen year old who was suppose to marry a stranger. Tears stung at her eyes. She blinked them away and allowed the moisture to cast a path down her cheeks.

She peered at the portrait, noting how she resembled the woman smiling serenely at her. The woman's blond hair was gathered into a bun on the top of her head. Loose golden ringlets framed her heart shaped face. Golden jewelry adorned her neck and ears. She wore a sky blue dress with ruffles around her neck and arms. Friendly brown orbs gazed at her.

Lucy lifted a hand to her forehead and slightly shook her head. Now was not the time to cry. As a lady, she had to conceal her emotions, even when she was alone because after Sebastion's promotion to butler and the coldness she received from her servants, she made a promise to act more like a lady; like her mother.

There was a soft but alarming rap at the door and both of Lucy's hands clutched at her skirts. The sapphire silk broke her from her reverie. She wore her mother's favorite color to spite her father's decision. The same thing went for the necklace that held a large sapphire gemstone adorned with small white diamonds. But hidden under all those fancy jewels was her golden chain that held the three golden celestial keys. With the keys, she could summon her spirits at any time.

"My lady, are you ready?" Sebastian asked.

It was then Lucy realized that she needed to regain her composure. She wiped her face with the back of her hands and she cleared her throat, "Yes. Have most of the guests arrived?"

"Yes. My lady, they are awaiting your presence."

"I'm coming out," Lucy announced walking to the door. Her gloved fingers made contact with the brass doorknob and she stopped momentarily. She knew that by opening the door and following Sebastian to the ballroom was going to be a major turning point in her life. Within the next hour she was going to be acquainted with her fiance, the person she was bound to spend the rest of her life with. Lucy pushed away those thoughts. She opened the door and followed Sebastian to the ballroom.

"Lady Lucy Heartfilia, daughter of Lord Jude Heartfilia and Lady Layla Heartfilia," the announcer, a petite butler with ruddy cheeks declared. Lucy gathered her skirts and made her way down the stairwell. She was aware that all of her father's guests had laid eyes on her as she made her way down to the dance floor. A strained smile etched its way onto her face as she greeted the people that were closest to her.

Somewhere between the friendly small talk and excessive smiling, Lucy found her anxiousness building up. After what seemed like an eternity with intermingling with guests, Lucy decided to head upstairs to the second level. More guests were typically located there and it was her job as a lady to associate herself with all of her visitors.

She was in the midst of chatting with an elderly man and his wife when she noticed her father's hurried footsteps to the main entrance of the ballroom. A tall man with black hair dressed in a dark tuxedo and a long cape stopped at the landing of the stairwell. The butler took his cape from his broad shoulders and exchanged a few words with him. The servant's eyes widened and appeared lost before Lord Heartfilia was at the man's side.

"Guests of Lord Heartfilia, I introduce Lord Mard Geer, the wealthiest man in Fiore." The guests gasped at such a fine introduction and an important person who attended the ball. Lucy's heart raced as she saw her father walked side by side with the important lord around the second level. People were trying to interrupt their conversation but Lord Heartfilia evaded them and they were walking toward her. Lucy's smile faltered as black eyes clashed with her chocolate ones. Her breath caught in her throat. Something predatory flickered in those eyes, which caused her to step back.

"Lady Heartfilia, are you okay?" the elderly man asked with concern laced in his aged voice.

Slowly, Lucy nodded her head. "W-ill you please excuse me?" she questioned the couple.

"Sure." She stepped away from the pair and turned around to make an escape, only her father's voice made her pause.

"My dearest daughter, Lucy." Her father had a sickeningly sweet tone, "This is Mard Geer, your fiance."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, my lord, how do you do?" she asked.

Although, Lucy wanted to flee more than anything in the world, she had to stand her ground or else risk ruining her family's reputation. This man, she surmised, was bad news. The way he gazed at her was not a way a gentleman would eye a lady in public. But no one seemed to notice this but her. Perhaps she was looking too far into it, telling herself all the possible flaws he had.

She felt useless at the way Lord Geer looked at her. There was amused expression on his face as if he enjoyed her sudden reaction to his appearance. Lucy figured that he had no objections to this marriage. After all, he was a man and he would not be the one who had to adapt to a new niche. If this marriage happened Lucy had to leave everyone and everything behind to move into a foreign place. She would become a wife, a mother to his children, and a prisoner in a different house. No more strolls in the woods or attempting to talk to the house staff or Sebastian. She would especially miss Sebastian, even if he had turned cold on her.

"Fine, thank you. And please the pleasure is all mine," Lord Geer responded with a touch of coolness and boredom.

The politeness he had spoken to her was just a farce.

A strained smile plastered on her lips as she glanced elsewhere in the ballroom, seeking an excuse to escape both men's company. Other noble guests lingered in the room in small groups while the musicians on the main level played soothing classical music. There were servants moving around the room with drinks on a tray. Her eyes met Sebastian's dark ones and for a moment she exhaled a breath she didn't know she was holding.

"How long was this reunion planned?" she asked as a way to make light conversation.

"For awhile now," her father replied. Lucy felt sick. Of course, Lord Heartfilia was scheming to make more money and he was willing to sell her to the devil if it meant he could secure a large financial sum.

"I see..." She was at lost to find anything else to say.

"I will leave you two alone to get to know one another." Her father bowed before Lord Geer, which shocked her. He never lowered himself to anyone before because he always thought of himself having more power and being better than everyone else.

He swiveled on his feet and left her in the company of a complete stranger.

Lord Geer's smile transformed into a smirk as he lightly bent his head in a gesture to greet a lady but Lucy knew it was all for show. She shuddered at the thought of being alone with him. The people saved her from getting to see who he truly was or what she sensed was radiating from his form; immorality.

Could the man be a wizard like her?

His aura felt different from the other guests in the room. Capricorn, her mother's most loyal spirit, taught her to discern magical auras from regular ones. Most people didn't have the ability to do magic. In fact, wizards were rare. They mostly gathered in places called magical guilds but to meet one intermingling with other people was even rarer. Wizards did difficult jobs or missions; mostly to slay monsters and to protect people and places. They were viewed as useful but when they weren't using their powers for the benefits of Fiore, they were feared.

If this man was a wizard like herself, then she had a good reason to be frightened of him.

She drew her gaze away from the stranger to look for Sebastian. He was moving near them. It was almost as if he could sense her distress and he was coming to rescue her.

"Are you having a pleasant time so far?" Lucy forced herself to question Lord Geer. She was buying time as she averted her attention back to him.

His black eyes roamed over her body and alertness slammed into her. "I was bored until we met. Maybe a marriageable reunion between us won't be so bad."

"You see, that's where I disagree," she replied. Her stomach felt like it was in knots. "I'm not the type of lady you're looking for."

"And you know what I want?" He tilted his head back. The smirk grew into a mocking grin.

She had to raise her head to get a better view of him and she cursed him for being tall. Physically, he towered over her. "I'm not some obedient girl who will bow to your whims."

"A challenge then?"

"No. This isn't right. You have nothing better to gain from this marriage more than I."

His eyes lit with malicious pleasure as he closed the distance between them. He glittered like the courtier he was.

Her heart was pounding. She looked helplessly around the room, silently asking for help. She couldn't believe he would act ungentlemanly toward a lady in front of the other courtiers.

Expression like ice, Sebastain intervened. Lucy's eyes widened at his bold move. "Will you like a glass of fine champagne, sir?"

She didn't get a chance to see Lord Geer's expression. Instead, she turned around and hastily walked out of the ballroom. Her chest was heaving by the time she arrived into the garden. There was a lovely fountain that made sprinkled water sparkle like diamonds. Brick pathways surrounded the fountain and there were benches for strollers to sit down. In the background had a grand maze of flowers. One could get lost inside of it. Fortunately, she was the only one who was outside to admire the maze. As she looked up, she saw the lights on from the ballroom. Music softly drifted into the wind. Lucy brushed back several strands of blond hair from her face. She gathered her skirts around her before she sat down on one of the benches. Above her, she could make out an exquisite balcony. It was the same one her father loved to stand on and watch everything from it. He said it made him believe he was the king of his kingdom. He was right. He was the king of the Heartfilia estate.

And she dreaded being his daughter more than anything.

"What the hell were you thinking, Sebastian?" a cold voice penetrated through the darkness of the garden. Lucy's head shot up to the balcony. Without thinking, she rose on her feet and moved into the shadows under the balcony. Whoever was up there with Sebastian would never be able to detect her presence.

"My apologies, Master," replied the butler.

"Things were getting interesting. Who knew my little fiancé was such a spitfire?"

"Which is my reason for intervening, Master. We can't have Master Heartfilia or his daughter knowing your true motive."

"You mean that insufferable brute. He's more blinded with making a fortune than to realize my true objective."

Lucy's hands were clenched on holding her skirts. She gritted her teeth to prevent a sound at the revelation. Sebastian wasn't who she thought he was.

"But we have to be careful with Lady Heartfilia. She might not look it but she is quite astute for a young wizard."

"That is why I am here, Sebastian. Are you sure she is what you claim her to be?"

"I know she is a celestial wizard like her mother. Although many years have passed since the death of her mother, one can't forget that type of magic. And I have proof to believe that she possesses three of the rare golden keys."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Master Geer."

Lucy trembled in fear. Her heart rate echoed in her ears as the truth stabbed her in her guts. Lord Geer was marrying her for more than just a business proposal. And Sebastian, the man she considered to be family, betrayed her.

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 **Actually, my sister and I finished this story and we decided that we are going to post the chapters every couple of days on this site. Also, we changed the title to "The Golden Keys" because we plan on posting all the books in the same place. We hope you don't mind. It's just if we post the books separately, there will be a lot of spams. Thanks and see you until next time.**


	3. Book I-Chapter 3

If it was one thing she knew, Lucy wasn't going to become a pawn for her father or Lord Geer. She decided the moment she learned of Lord Geer's true attentions that she was going to escape from the Heartfilia mansion. However, there were a couple of problems she faced; how she was going to pass the guards and where would she go once she fled from the Heartfilia mansion? She had limited connections with the people on the outside. Either the contacts she knew were allies or foes of her father. No matter whom she trusted, they would surely tell her father her whereabouts. She was alone. And she had to devise her escape plan.

There were a lot of pointers she was aware of. The guards were preoccupied with the ball. She could use their distraction to her advantage. And she had three of the golden keys with her. If anything dangerous happened, she could summon one of her celestial spirits.

Which left her another question. Once she began traveling by herself, how was she going to keep her identity a secret? Capricorn, her most loyal celestial spirit, taught her how to discern people's aura. She could tell who had magical abilities and who were regular humans. But she didn't know how to mask her own presence. The only hope lied in staying away from the villages and towns. She would be safer in large crowds of people because wizards didn't interact well with regular citizens. The Magic Council, the leaders and regulators of the Magical Guilds, isolated the wizards for the main purpose of controlling their magic.

Which led Lucy to wonder why the Magic Council didn't stop the ones who were responsible for killing celestial wizards. Maybe there were secretly investigating the murders.

And why was Lord Geer interested in her magical ability and her keys?

Lucy shuffled many items in her room, searching for essential ones she was going to need for the trip. She grabbed a couple shirts, undergarments, jeans, a hairbrush, and a couple toiletries and she put them into her backpack that laid on her bed. She realized she had to make a stop off in the kitchen to pack some food before hitting the road. Again, her main concern was dodging the guards and perhaps Sebastian.

She moved to the mirror and glanced at herself. Her body jerked, as she didn't recognize the teenage girl staring back at her. Her long golden hair was out and cascaded over her slim shoulders and down her back. Her face was free without makeup and she could clearly see doe brown eyes. Her attire consisted of a fitted black shirt, tight black pants and boots. She grabbed her hair and tied it into a loose knot on her head. It was a better idea to try to blend into the shadows. Her hair was a dead giveaway.

Satisfied with how she appeared, she zipped up her bag and she looped the black knapsack's handles through her arms until the bag was snugly fitted across her back. She crept toward her door, turned the knob and walked into the hallways. There were three ways to get down into the kitchen and those three ways also led to an exit. Instantly, she stopped moving when she heard laughter and she thought the best course of action was to evade all possible human contact. Therefore, Lucy had no choice but to travel through the servant's quarters, because most, if not all of the servants were tending to the grand event tonight.

Lucy moved the other way and stayed within the shadows. She could hear her heart thundering in her ears as she placed one foot over the other the one. She slowly made her way through the huge hallways until she reached a narrow door frame. Immediately, she noticed the difference in the architecture. The servants' quarters were smaller and plain with white washed walls. The wooden floors creaked with slight pressure from her footsteps. Candle holders were lit with fire, causing shadows to dance across the floor. There were many moments that Lucy halted and pressed her back to the wall in fear that some one of the servants discovered her. One of her hands clutched the golden keys through her shirt as she prayed to get away from the house in one piece.

The silence in the hallway greeted her as she made her way to the stairs. Down the stairs, pass the kitchen was the exit. She could get away if she was able to nab a horse from one of the stalls. Quietly, Lucy stepped down each stair. She walked on the balls of her feet to put less pressure on the moaning stairs. She frowned when she noticed the inactivity in the kitchen. Finally, reaching the last staircase, Lucy peered through the doorway of the kitchen. She heard sounds of clapping and cheers. A familiar voice floated through the air.

"As you know, I invited all of you tonight to celebrate a special occasion. I know, if my wife was still alive, she will be here to celebrate such a momentous occasion with us," her father said.

"What grand occasion did you call us all here to celebrate on such a fine night?" one of the guests asked.

Lucy held her breath as she realized what her father was doing. He was going to announce her engagement to Lord Geer to everyone in the room. Only she wasn't there.

She didn't have much time. She had to flee before anyone noticed her disappearance.

"As you know, my daughter, Lucy Heartfilia is growing into a young woman. She has reached a point in her life..."

His words blurred as she dashed through the kitchen and she reached the exit. The night was cloudy and the air smelled of rain. With the party going on inside the house, there was only one guard at the horse stables. She was able to keep within the shadows because of her dark attire. She passed the guard with ease. His attention was elsewhere. She made her way to one of the stables and paused as a massive black horse's mane whipped from side to side. His head moved in her direction as if greeting her.

"Diablo," Lucy crooned. "It's so good to see you again." The horse neighed and put his massive head into Lucy's awaiting hands. "I'm sorry, boy. I don't have any treats with me today but I need your help."

The horse nodded his head as if agreeing with her words.

He stomped his hoofs and Lucy's body stilled. She was on high alert as she heard shuffle of sounds heading outside.

"What happened?" the guard outside the stalls asked.

"Lady Heartfilia can't be found anywhere," another voice answered.

"What?"

"We believe she might be attempting to escape the mansion. Don't let anyone go in or out of the stalls."

"Yes, sir."

Scuffling noises moved closer to Diablo's stall and Lucy realized she didn't have time to equip the steed with a saddle. She had to ride him bare back.

Lucy grabbed his mane and expertly raised her body until she was striding upon the huge black horse. He neighed and swung his head with unease.

"It's okay, Diablo. We're going to get out here tonight," she comforted the stallion.

"Where do you think you're going?" a dark voice questioned. Lucy's head whipped to where a tall figure emerged from the shadows of the stall.

Her eyes widened. A face hit the light coming from one of the fires on one of the poles. "Sebastian?"

"Where are you going?" he iterated. His voiced sounded cold as his facial features hardened into an unrecognizable expression. Lucy never saw a dark side of Sebastian and it frightened her.

Her hands shook and she held onto Diablo's mane. His body began rocking back and forth with apprehension. If she didn't move out of there quickly, Diablo was going to raise his body into the air and she would tumble off into Sebastian's direction.

"Sebastian, please let me go." Lucy hoped that begging him would bring back the Sebastian she knew. "This marriage isn't going to work for me or Lord Geer."

He moved a step toward her and Diablo retreated. She said the wrong words to him.

"Please, let me go," she tried again. Only this time she didn't give him a reason.

He took one step toward her but his eyes began to soften.

"Lucy, don't make this harder on yourself."

"I can't do what you want me to do." She shook her head. "I can't marry a stranger."

"He will scour every inch of this place until you're in his clutches. Think of the people he will hurt to get to you."

For a moment Lucy paused. Sebastian words held some truth. The sounds of hoofs smacking the ground broke her thought.

"Thank you Diablo." She caressed the horse's shiny coat. Then she averted her attention to Sebastian. "Fortunately, I don't know anyone outside this mansion. Everyone I knew is either dead or refuses to talk to me. You saw to that."

She slightly put pressure on one side of Diablo using her foot. The horse began moving backward.

"Lucy," he warned, "You're going to regret this."

"No, you're going to regret betraying me."

She didn't see him move but she expected him to come at her. _Capricorn!_ She mentally shouted for her loyal spirit. There was a bright glow coming from beneath her shirt. Sebastian halted as a crouched form appeared with a poof of dust. The figure straightened to his full height; dressed in a fancy black suit and sunglasses. Only the figure wasn't a person but a goat with a man's body.

Sebastian blinked his eyes. No one had ever seen a celestial spirit but there was one standing between her and the butler. "My lady," the spirit said without taking his eyes off the man. "What may I do for you?"

"Please keep him busy while I try to escape from here."

"With pleasure," he replied. He cracked his knuckles and took a defensive stance.

Lucy felt Diablo raise his body. She tightened her arms and legs around his sides and she waited until his hoofs touched the ground before he passed the figures.

"No, you don't!" Sebastian yelled at her but Capricorn intervened in their flight.

"No, you don't!" Capricorn returned. Lucy didn't look back. She kicked firmly against Diablo's side to increase his speed and she hoped that he would be able to navigate through the dark woods.

* * *

A light drizzle was starting to fall. Maybe that would aid their escape. Lucy firmly gripped Diablo's mane as they sped to the main gate of the Heartfilia mansion. Beyond the gate was Ismitch Forest, a creepy wilderness that no one dared to venture beyond the main road. But Lucy had no choice. She had to get away from the guards and the place that had become a prison.

The blast of a shotgun pierced the night and a shower of vicious lead peppered Lucy and her black stallion. She flinched at the sound of the gunshot and cried, "Go!"

Clouds covered the moon and the rain began to fall harder, but Diablo moved with grace and knowledge that Lucy trusted her steed to avoid the trees as they passed the main gate and headed into the unknown parts of the forest. If it were daylight, Lucy would be able to make her way through the forest with ease due to her daily strolls. However, during the nighttime, Ismitch forest had monsters that roamed the area and people did their best to avoid wandering in it.

Halfway in the forest, Lucy heard a thunder of hooves behind her. Some wicked person had organized a pursuit with speed. Lucy acknowledged that Sebastian was capable of such a feat, which meant that Capricorn didn't keep him distracted for long.

As thunder boomed and lightening lit the sky, Diablo dashed into the dark shelter of the trees. Branches lashed at both of them. The pursuers were losing track of them as they stayed near the trees but Lucy didn't know how much longer she could hold onto Diablo.

Another sound of thunder and the rain stopped pelting along her exposed skin but an increase in the wind had the branches swaying. One dead tree plummeted close to the direction Diablo was galloping, causing them to swerve. Lucy pulled on his mane and gripped her feet to her horse's side to stop him. He reared back and Lucy struggled to control him.

"It's going to be okay, Diablo," she whispered to her horse as she tried to find her balance. Diablo was swaying with the trees and the rough weather was making matters worse.

Then, she heard the multiple smacks of hooves and craned her head to see the pursuers had found her. They halted and one guard had a gun pointed at her.

"That's enough," he said. "You will return with us at once, my lady."

Her dark eyes flashed with defiance. "Are you really going to shoot me if I refuse to cooperate?"

"Your father didn't tell us how to bring you back. He ordered us to bring you back at all costs."

Lucy trembled in fear. It didn't matter to her father in what state she returned to him as long as she was capable of doing her duty. She lifted her head into the sky. A slow but sad smile spread across her lips. "I won't return without a fight."

She lightly tapped Diablo's side with her foot. The steed galloped around the tree and Lucy held on for dear life. A shot rang by her ear.

"Go!" she cried.

She could hear the thunder of hooves behind her. Her pursuers were almost upon them.

"Oh no! We're not going to make it!"

She glanced behind her. A guard had a pistol clearly aimed at her back. Her hands had let go of Diablo. She closed her eyes and waited for the impact.

Then flames as bright as the sun lit the forest and she heard screams. Lucy found herself on the forest floor. A guy with spiky bubblegum hair and dark clothes emerged from the shadows. His fists were engulfed in flames. His lips curved into a smirk.

"I'm all fired up now," were the only words Lucy heard before everything was consumed in flames.

* * *

 **Well, we hope you enjoy the third chapter. Now that you know who enters the picture, things are about to get interesting. Also, my sister and I hope you like our original characters. See you in the next update!**


	4. Book I-Chapter 4

The fire caused Diablo to raise in the air and Lucy found herself on the hard ground. Diablo reared again, agitated by the fire surrounding them. Screams pierced the night as a guy with wild salmon hair wearing a vest that barely covered his upper body, baggy pants and wooden sandals smirked wildly at the fallen guards.

Lucy's eyes widened when he raised his fist of fire in the air.

 _How is he not being burned by the fire? Unless he controls it..._

The flames in the forest seemed to rise higher. Diablo was backing into her, neighing uncontrollably. His body tossed side-to-side. She shuffled out of his hooves way, almost making her way into the fire. She turned in time to see the brightness of the flames touch her.

"Ouch!" She winced as she cradled her hand.

All of a sudden the flames died down, leaving smoke to linger in the soft breeze and she could feel an intense gaze on her. She turned her head to meet a dark gaze from a stranger and she gulped in fear. Diablo stopped moving around and he pranced next to her. His large head moved down to her face. Her hands raised on their own accord to capture his snout and she gently patted him.

The guy shifted toward her. His sandal feet made the leaves and twigs snap at his approach. Lucy scooted over to her horse. If Diablo was apprehensive because of the stranger, she would have found a reason not to trust him.

It was hard to believe that animals had a sixth sense to trust people but her horse was different. Whenever Sebastian went near him, he neighed and shied away. So far Diablo wasn't showing any signs of retreating from the stranger.

As the guy moved closer to them, Lucy could make out his tall and lean figure. The muscles in his broad chest shifted and bulged with his every footstep until he stopped a few inches away from her.

His dark eyes narrowed on her but she was only interested in his hands. If he were a wizard, what might stop him from attacking her and Diablo?

"Who are you?" he asked. His baritone was low and deep.

"I should be asking you the same question," she retorted as she slowly rose to her feet.

"With all do respect, lady, I'm not the one who was chased and almost shot down by some guards," he said. He overlooked her to pinpoint the guards who were laying too still on the forest ground. Some had blood oozing from their skin. Others were charred beyond recognition. Lucy's mouth gaped at his display of power. She had only known one other male wizard and that was Mr. Bero.

"I don't clearly recall asking for your help."

"And what kind of Fairy Tail member would I be if let those men shoot a lady?"

Once again, he called her a lady, although she was dressed in commoners' clothing.

"I'm not a lady," she said through gritted teeth. _Or at least I'm not a lady anymore._

The wild haired guy scratched the back of his head with one hand. "I thought you might be Lucy Heartfilia."

Her back went rigid and she sharpened her gaze at the male. "What made you think I'm the famous lady?"

He shook his head. "Like I said, those men were after you, which made me think you are someone important. I guess I thought wrong."

"Yes you did," she clarified.

She blinked her eyes and he was standing in front of her. She titled her head back as she realized her he was a few inches taller than her. His eyebrows joined together as his forehead wrinkled. "Are you sure?"

She put her hands on her hips to emphasize her figure as she stared at him defiantly. "Of course, I'm sure."

Diablo chose the moment to nuzzle Lucy, seeking her affection when the guy scrutinized her and the black steed.

"Then those guards were after you because you stole this horse," he assumed.

"What?"

"Well, that horse doesn't look like a farmer's horse. It looks like he..."

"Diablo," she hissed as she interrupted him.

"Excuse me," he replied.

"My horse's name is Diablo."

He sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "I'm sorry."

"You should be and he's my horse."

"But that's strange." He put a hand under his chin while lost in thought.

"What's strange?" Lucy couldn't help but be curious.

"I was sent to look for Lucy Heartfilia but you're not her." Although it was dark, she could feel the weight of his eyes roaming her figure. Her cheeks flushed and she briefly hugged herself.

Then, his words registered in her mind. "Who is looking for m... Lady Heartfilia?" she asked carefully.

"I can't say who. It's not part of the job description."

"Who told you that?"

The fire wizard shook his head. "I don't have time for this. The clock is ticking." He swiveled on his feet and was about to walk in the direction of the fallen guards.

She realized that he was looking for her but she couldn't tell him he already found the person he was searching for. Besides, her father could have hired him in short notice as he realized she might have planned to escape from the Heartfilia mansion tonight.

But what story could she concur that sounded believable? He attacked the other men based on assumption she was Lucy Heartfilia. He was right about her identity but he believed her claim of being someone else.

"Wait!" she shouted. "I can take you to Lady Heartfilia."

Her words got his attention. He glanced at her over his shoulder but the fierce expression on his face was a warning.

"I'm nothing but a servant," she confessed as she subserviently lowered her head. Her role as a lady in the mansion might give her a high status. But to her father, she was a servant. He used her for his own selfish needs.

The fire wizard simply waited for her to finish.

She nervously swallowed as her heart raced. Instinct told her he was quite perceptive and she had to be careful how she phrased her sentences. It was better if she could stay near the truth. "I know Lady Heartfilia."

"And..." He was growing impatient.

She had to direct him away from the Heartfilia mansion if she decided to accompany him. "She fled from the Heartfilia mansion and I was her decoy to distract the guards. That's why the guards were after me and..." She added as an after thought, "I have Diablo."

As if the horse responded to his name, he butted her gently on her head, wanting her attention. She lightly placed her hand by his dark mane and rubbed his neck.

"At first I thought you stole him," the guy said as he turned to her. "But I can see you both have a special bond." A smile curved his lips.

"I took care of him, for our lady, you see."

Diablo shook his head while rubbing his nose onto the side of her cheek.

"What?"

"You speak very proper for a mere servant. And you mentioned before that he is your horse."

 _Oh shit!_

"Well, Lord Heartfilia demands that his servants are educated in rudimentary manners. And I lied about Diablo."

"That's not common."

"Of course. Only the finest staff works at the Heartfilia mansion and I'm protecting my lady."

He raised his thumb in the air and pointed backwards with it. "So how about we go to the Heartfilia mansion and help the old man find his daughter."

"No!" Lucy protested to quickly.

Both his eyebrows raised at her sudden outburst.

"If we go back, I will be in serious trouble," she tried to explain to him.

"As a fine servant you should have realized the consequences for helping Lucy flee the mansion." When he said her only her first name, her heart almost stilled. She hadn't heard someone call her by that name in a long time that she almost responded to him.

"Besides," he continued, "You should return Diablo to his rightful home."

"No!" She protested again. He ignored her as he closed the distance between them.

She furiously shook her head as she raised her hands to ward him. "Lord Heartfilia will whip me into submission."

Her words caused him to pause. "What do you mean?"

It was true what she said. As a child, she had witnessed her father physically abused his staff when they didn't follow his directions. She remembered seeing an old kitchen woman pleading for forgiveness for not having his chicken moist and tender at dinner time. He forced the old woman to kneel while he repeatedly stomped on her until she was bloody and limp.

Fortunately, Lucy never endured beatings from him but she had to live with meeting his expectations of being a lady. He liked to use her mother's disappointment as a way to build her the guilt trip.

Lucy blinked back the excess moisture building in her eyes. "Lord Heatfelia is a cruel man. He uses ruthless means to get whatever he wants and he wants his daughter to marry some scumbag."

The young fire wizard shook his head. "That doesn't seem bad."

"She's only fifteen and she's suppose to marry some man she never met."

It was as if the light dawned on him. His mouth opened and his fingers flexed against his baggy pants. Then his face contorted into one of rage. His eyes narrowed as one of his hands clenched into a fist.

"He sounds like a bastard," he said with a dark voice that sent shivers down her spine. She stepped back and was greeted by her horse.

"He is, which is why we should get out of here. He has more men scouting this forest and it's is not safe to roam around at night. There are monsters who eat human flesh and they only wander around in the darkness."

There was a pause before he asked, "And you can take me to your lady?"

"Look, I can make you a deal," she offered.

He crossed his arms over his muscled chest and she noticed the way his muscles twitch at his slight movement. She glanced down at her boots to hide the redness filling her cheeks.

"Well?" His voice interrupted her mortification.

"I... How about I help you with your job?"

She felt his intense gaze as silence filled the atmosphere. Diablo had wandered away from them, keeping a far distance between the guards' wounded bodies. Her breath caught her in throat as she waited for his answer.

"Are you a wizard?" he questioned after some time.

Lucy intertwined her fingers together. "Kind of." She shyly glanced at him.

His nostrils flared as he closed his eyes and inhaled a deep breath.

 _Is he smelling the air?_

He let go a breath and his eyes opened. "You have a smell of cherry blossoms and fresh sunlight. You definitely used magic not too long ago."

With his astute observation based on scent, Lucy stepped back. She realized that looks were deceiving. He appeared to be someone who was gullible to a fault but he was far more intelligent. His scent gave him a better advantage than her ability to discern magical auras. This guy was not someone to mess with.

 _I have to be very careful what I do or say around him._

She nodded her head.

"What kind of magic do you use?"

He asked a forbidden question for her kind of wizardry. She trembled and rubbed her arms.

"Are you cold?"

She nodded her head, feeling glad for a temporary change of conversation.

"We should get out of here." His eyes drifted shut and he tilted his head back.

Lucy went to her horse. With fluid and grace, she got onto Diablo's back and faced the salmon haired guy, only he had one eye open. Her body jerked, causing Diablo to stir restlessly.

"I'm sorry, sweety," she crooned at the black steed. She pressed her face into the side of his mane. He was moving his head up and down as if nodding. "We're going to get out of this creepy forest."

When Diablo calmed down, she lifted her head and focused her attention on the guy. He had an inquisitive look on his face.

"What?"

"Are you sure you're not Lucy?"

She sat upright on the sleek black horse. Her hands curved around Diablo's long black hair as she tried so hard not to respond to the way he called her first name on an informal level.

"You shouldn't call my lady by her first name. It's disrespectful," she easily replied as she mimicked the servants in her home.

He rubbed the nape of his neck awkwardly as a sheepish grin overtook his face. "Sorry." Then with a sudden contradiction, he strolled away with confidence and grace of a warrior while his face still appeared goofy.

She was about to nudge Diablo with her foot when his words floated in the air between them. "It's just you smell too good to be a servant."

* * *

 **Here's another chapter. The next one is going to be posted in the next couple of days. My sister and I hope you're enjoy reading. Tell us what you think so far.**

 **Also, thank you so much to the readers who add this story to their follow or favorite list. Extra thank you for the reviews. :)**


	5. Book I-Chapter 5

Silence ensued for the next hour as they walked through the darkness of the woods. Their only source of light was the firelight illuminating from fire user's fist. While riding Diablo, she was finding her eyes were drooping and it was harder to sit upright. She was still uneasy about the salmon haired guy's unique job request to find Lucy Heartfilia. The more she tried to think of reasons as to why he would want to find her, the droopier her eyes got.

She wearily assumed that it must have been the fact that she was almost falling off of Diablo or Diablo's neigh that alerted the fire wizard she was going to collapse. His voice snapped her eyes open when he said, "Do you think we should rest here?"

 _Anything to get some sleep..._

Lucy was too exhausted at that point to give him a straight answer. He took her response as a yes and paused. She got off of Diablo while yawning audibly. The fire wizard was gathering firewood to make a fire. Instantly, with a contact of his fist to the wood, a fire crackled to life. Diablo wandered around but he didn't stray too far.

Lucy was slumped against a tree trunk and watched him with awe as he worked. While her body was willing her to sleep, she fought against it. She didn't want to be caught off guard with this guy just yet.

 _Maybe, if I'm careful and make small talk with him he'll let something slip._

"You never told me your name," he spoke, breaking the oddly comfortable silence that had been going on between them.

"It's Layla, and yours?"

"Natsu of Fairy Tail."

She had heard of Fairy Tail being a guild somewhere in the land of Fiore but hadn't known anything other than that. She assumed that this pink-haired, flame-thrower was a member of it. She, however, knew that guilds were heavily supervised by the Magic Council. Mages were a rarity in the land of Fiore and feared by most of the townsfolks, the last thing the Magic Council would want was for any bad rumors to circulate about their kind.

"Where is it that again?"

"In Magnolia," he replied.

She recalled going there once in her childhood with her mother to a fair. It was the cherry blossom parade, where the cherry blossom tree was lit up. It was one of the fondest memories she had before her mother passed away.

"I've never been past the town before," she explained, "Heartfilia Manor, Code of Etiquette."

"Must've been suffocating, in that mansion. I'm starting to see why your lady wanted to leave so bad," Natsu commented.

"I could imagine with an overbearing father like hers, wanting to marry his fifteen-year-old daughter to a stranger," she elaborated. Lucy was afraid that if she thought of what had happened any further than she really would collapse with exhaustion. Sebastian's betrayal and her father's orders to marry her off to a man who wanted her mother's golden keys was something she wouldn't stand for.

It was as if Natsu could see the distraught look on her face because he didn't question her further. Instead he muttered something like, "We'll talk more in the morning."

But little did he know, in the morning Lucy was not going to be around.

* * *

Lucy woke to the usual chirp of the birds the following morning. She was glad to see that Natsu was still asleep, snoring lightly. She couldn't help but admire the serenity on his face as his chest went up and down with each inhalation and exhalation of air. The taut muscles were apparent and Lucy couldn't help but feel a blush appear on her face. He was a work of art compared to all the other male staff in her house.

Lucy made her way to her feet and collected her book bag. She had to make her escape as soundless and fast as possible, getting caught by him was the last thing she wanted to happen. He was already suspicious about her identity from last night, and getting caught in the midst of escaping him would give him more reason to find her untrustworthy.

"Come on, Diablo," she ushered her horse.

She was relieved to find that he was awake. She patted him and gestured for him to trek behind her in the woods. About halfway into the walk she slid onto his back and began to ride him. Lucy didn't hear any footsteps behind her or any auras containing magic.

It was when she was going to turn to her left did she hear a scream. In the distance she could hear a girl that sounded about her age plead with someone not to do whatever it was that they were going to do.

 _I can't. This could mess up everything._

Diablo seemed to agree with what she was saying. His body gestured her to go into the other direction. She was about to oblige with him when she heard the girl scream again. Out of all the scenarios that had to happen in the middle of the woods, it had to be this incident.

Lucy momentarily scanned the part of the woods she was in with Diablo. It was the deeper part of Ismitch Forest where Yucans and trolls were rumored to live. Lucy had never gone into depth of this area before but midway through she found big footprints and scattered remnants of mutilated animals.

"Stop, you're going to regret this," the girl's voice warned.

The words would have probably sent chills down Lucy's back if she wasn't caught up with trying to save her. She stirred Diablo in the direction of where the sound was coming from and her mouth gasped at the sight of the Yucan that appeared before her.

He was at least twelve feet tall and the blue-haired girl that was crying out earlier was on the floor. She wasn't severely injured, but Lucy could see the bruises that were littered across her exposed body. Her clothes were torn. The Yucan was about to hit her with another attack when she took a step behind and slipped on a fallen branch.

Lucy picked up a stone and hurled it at the Yucan. It hit it's leg and he turned to face Lucy, evidently pissed off. It was at that moment the blue haired girl yelled, "Solid script magic, Iron!"

A chunk of iron manifested out of nowhere and was about to hit the Yucan on it's head. During the last minute the Yucan realized what was happening and dodged out of the way. The distraction provided Lucy enough time to pick the blunette up and dash away with Diablo.

Lucy pushed Diablo to dash his fastest. Even with the Yucan having an injured shoulder, she could feel him following after them. With every dash of his footsteps the earth around him shook, making Diablo grow more restless.

 _What the heck did I get myself into?_

Lucy couldn't comprehend what was going on, she felt herself losing grip of Diablo's mane. The Yucan was speeding up to them now and it was in that move that she fell off of Diablo along with the blue haired girl.

Diablo neighed and ran away the other direction, leaving both girls in direct position of the Yucan's sight. A pang of abandonment washed over Lucy with losing Diablo but she pushed it away and focused on getting the half-conscious girl behind a tree.

Lucy realized she had to summon Aquarius, Capricorn or Cancer. She couldn't risk the lives of both her and this girl. She was about to reach her chest where the gold chain held three golden keys when she heard the Yucan crashed.

She peered from behind the tree and what she saw took her breath away. Natsu appeared, and a blue cat was flying by his side. Lucy blinked but the image was still the same, and she gasped for the second time being in the fire wizard's presence.

Natsu winked at her and turned his attention back to the Yucan. The monster was now disoriented and lunging at Natsu. He went up in midair with the flying cat and encircled his opponent like a vulture hunting it's prey. In the midst of all the motion, Lucy's eyes darted back to the blunette. Her chest was heaving up and down and she was leaning against the tree on her right side.

Lucy's eyes widened when she saw a chalk-like emblem printed on her back. And as the realization surged in her from where she saw that before, the Yucan went down with a loud blow. Her eyes were still glued on the mark. It was the same as Natsu's.

 _Did that mean? No way..._

This girl and Natsu were from the same guild and they were after her.

* * *

 **Here's another chapter. There are more chapters to come out this weekend. Hope you enjoy them! Until next time.**


	6. Book I-Chapter 6

Lucy willed herself to calm down. Anything irrational at this point would only make things more chaotic, she'd just have to play the Layla Heartfilia card and wait for another opening to escape. She could hear Natsu's footsteps walking towards them so she prepped herself for what was about to happen.

 _Calm down! He hasn't harmed me yet so and I just saved this girl's life. If he's with her than nothing can go wrong, can it?_

The thought made the knots in her stomach go away. And when Natsu appeared before her, he didn't say a word to her. He crouched down and eyed the blue-haired-girl, "How bad is she hurt?"

"She has some bruises but I'm not sure if she has any internal bleeding or broken bones," Lucy admitted, it was then she noticed the blue flying cat hovering over the blunette.

"Levy... Wake up, I'm sorry," he said. His voice was notably babyish.

"That's enough, Happy," Natsu said to the cat and turned to Lucy, "Where's the horse?"

The sudden reminder that Diablo had run off on her made her cringe. "He ran away when the monster was chasing us."

"And your bag?"

"It fell."

"Dammit."

"I'm sorry," she began, but was stopped by Natsu. She realized that it wasn't the time for meaningless chatter. Levy was hurt and between consciousness and unconsciousness. Her wounds needed to be tended to immediately. Diablo and her back pack would have to wait.

"Here, take this and help me get her on my back, we can rest somewhere and figure things out," he said while handing Lucy, what she assumed to be Levy's backpack. He must've picked it up with Happy on his way. Lucy nodded at his suggestion, deciding it was the best thing to do.

 _Just a little longer..._

Natsu turned around and Lucy helped to wrap the blue haired girl's arms around Natsu. He grabbed her upper legs, while her head rested on his left shoulder. Her puny frame made her look a lot younger than Natsu and Lucy. However, Lucy put two and two together and figured she was older than that. It was a nationwide rule that wizards younger than fifteen weren't allowed to apply for magical guilds.

They went into the opposite direction, one that led them lower into the depths of the woods. Lucy couldn't help but think of Diablo, her black steed, and her only companion. She'd raised him as a calf, when she'd received him shortly before her mother died. Their unspeakable bond was what she treasured most. And he was out there by himself wandering the woods where monsters were noted to roam...

 _He's going to be fine. He'll be okay._

But those words proved little to comfort her. Her head kept on spinning with her newfound realization, Diablo was her means of escaping. She could live without her back pack, as much as it killed her to admit it. The clothes that were in there were not as important as her life. She didn't doubt at this point that her father had probably hired some sort of bounty hunter to hunt her down.

"If you were in such a hurry to leave this morning, a goodbye would've sufficed," Natsu said. Once again, he broke the silence between them and was approaching the question Lucy dreaded. Why she'd left in a hurry.

"I was hunting for breakfast," Lucy replied lamely.

 _I'm running out of excuses._

"Without a bow and arrow?"

"I was trying to be helpful."

"I just find it kind of odd that you went without a word, got lost despite knowing the woods so well and ran into my comrade," Natsu quipped, "Don't you think?"

"Yes. Very odd," Lucy replied, "Like how you never mentioned your comrade."

Lucy's statement hung like a thick fog in the air. It was evident that there was many secrets that they were hiding from each other, and she could tell that Natsu held a lot more than just this blue-haired girl and the sullen cat.

"Her name's Levy and she's part of Fairy Tail. We got separated in the woods yesterday and she's helping me with finding your lady," Natsu said.

"Natsu!" Happy exclaimed, "I found a place to rest and there's a stream nearby."

"Good job! Where is it?" Natsu pasted a pleased expression on his face. As she followed in Natsu's direction, she realized two things: he knew she was Lucy Heartfilia and she definitely had to escape with or without Diablo.

They approached their resting spot that Happy had scouted out for them. It was a clearing in the woods, with nothing but tall trees surrounding them. It was a clearing of dirt, and as Happy had said, there was water nearby. Lucy could hear splashes of water.

 _Better for me to escape._

Lucy disconnected the bag from her shoulders and handed it to Natsu who spilled the contents on the floor. Potions, books, food, extra clothing, maps and other necessities were spilled out. What grabbed Lucy's eye was a rolled up parchment that was tied with a brown string. It reminded her of the scrolls her old teacher, Mr. Bero, use to have in his office at the Heartfilia mansion.

"Hand me that vial," Natsu instructed. She did as she was told and watched him pop off the cap and pour the contents into Levy's mouth. Her eyes widened when she saw the bruises on Levy's legs and arms disappear. The girl opened her eyes and looked at Happy who was hugging her and Natsu and then finally Lucy. Her eyes slightly widened when she saw her.

"How are you here?" she questioned.

"Happy found me and brought me your bag, and then I saw you with Layla. You guys were about to become Yucan breakfast," he explained and added, "And I saved both of you."

"Layla? You mean?" Levy's eyes turned in Lucy's direction. "You saved me back there. Thank you."

"It was no problem at all," Lucy said politely.

Suddenly, her stomach grumbled and she slightly blushed. That was right, she hadn't eaten breakfast and it was a little after daybreak.

"You must be hungry," Levy noted and then she looked around. "Where's your horse?"

"He got separated because of the Yucan. It scared him away," she replied.

 _I hope Diablo's fine..._

"I'll do some hunting and you guys can get settled in," Natsu suggested.

"Happy," Levy said. "Why don't you go scouting for Layla's horse while Natsu hunts?"

The blue cat seemed somewhat annoyed but muttered a 'yes.' With a wave of his hand, Natsu left camp with Happy flying beside him. They were saying something and Natsu raked his hands through his pink hair. Meanwhile Lucy helped Levy pack the contents back into her back pack.

"Thank you for back there. You could've gotten severely hurt because of me," the blunette said sheepishly. "If it wasn't for you, I could've died."

"You're giving me way too much credit. Natsu was the one who really saved you, well, us."

"But still, you're one of the few people I've encountered who actually didn't run away from Natsu and me. It's almost like you've accepted us and are familiar with magic," she explained.

 _If only she really knows._

"It's shameful to think just because someone possesses magic they have to be feared because of it. All the wonderful things you can do with magic goes unnoticed because ordinary people are ignorant," Lucy huffed.

Realizing that she'd gone into such depth about her views, she scolded herself. Her theory brought light to Levy's eyes, "You talk with such conviction. It makes me think that you're talking from some sort of personal experience."

She was.

"It's nothing, just something I noticed," she quickly changed the subject, "What about you and Natsu? What brings you guys here?"

She feigned ignorance hoping it would make her spill some answers about the mission they were assigned to find her. Levy rummaged in her bag and brought out the scroll that she'd previously seen in Levy's back. When Levy began undoing the scroll, Lucy found her heart rate accelerated.

 _What if the mission they are assigned is connected with Mr. Bero?_

"There was a job that Natsu and I took simply because of the good pay and oddity of it," Levy began explaining. She revealed the scroll and Lucy felt her breath hitch at the sight of a silver key. It was Mr. Bero's key, Crux, knowledge-holder of all things related to celestial spirit history and key-scholar.

"A dying old man told us that we will find a privileged girl named Lucy Heartfilia. We are to deliver this key to her and she will know what to do with it," Levy relayed the message. "You know what's quite odd? Layla was Lucy's mother's name before she passed away a few years ago."

"What was the old man's name?" she queried.

"Callous Bero."

"He was her tutor, before her father kicked him out. Wasn't he?" Lucy pried. "He knew he was going to die so he sent her one of his prized keys."

To Lucy's surprise, Levy didn't seem shocked at the knowledge she held. But then again, she wasn't surprised, like Natsu, this blue haired girl was keeping secrets. Their only difference was she knew one more secret than them.

"You look a lot like her with the brown eyes and blonde hair," Levy noted. "I guess it makes sense because there's a high probability you're not Layla but you're Lucy Heartfilia."

* * *

Levy's candid observation was enough to send shivers down her back. She wasn't typically the kind of person to say something outright like that. As a lady raised in the Heartfilia manson, she learned to keep her mouth shut and listen to what she was told to do. It was something all ladies of high social standards had to do.

 _I just have to play along with it and take the key, find Diablo and make an escape._

There was a difference between Levy and Natsu. While Natsu had suspected her as being Lucy Heartfilia, he'd allowed himself to be strung along, where Levy was stringing her along while hoping for a confession. She was trying to make her admit to being Lucy.

"It was part of the plan to look like my lady when she escaped. She was being pressured into an arranged marriage she didn't want to partake in. My lady and I devised a plan where I distracted the guards while she made her escape," Lucy coyly responded.

"Are you saying this whole thing was a farce?"

"It's for my lady's safety," she reassured her.

"It's imperative I get this key to her," Levy said as she looked frantic. Something inside of Lucy stirred, maybe, it was guilt. She wouldn't have to worry about it for long. When Lucy takes the key with her, everything would be over. And they would get the confirmation she was the real Lucy Heartfilia.

"I could take you to her," she said softly.

 _I am taking Natsu to Lucy too._

"What?" She didn't get to reply to Levy's reaction because the branches behind her crackled. She recalled the stomp of hooves and turned around. Her suspicions were proven correct when she saw a pink haired guy come into view. He held dead rabbits in his hand.

Happy came into view behind Natsu with fish in both of his hands. His previous sullen demeanor was nonexistent, and Lucy wondered how he was able to get over something like that so fast. She suspected that the fish in his hands had made him forget everything.

"Levy! Look what I got from the stream!" he announced, displaying the fish proudly.

Once they were fully back to the campsite, Levy excused herself awkwardly from Lucy with Natsu and Happy in tow. They disappeared into the backs of one of the trees and Lucy regained her composure. Her eyes made contact with the silver key that was still on display.

 _It'll only take me a couple of seconds..._

Taking a deep breathe she said, "Open gate of the Southern Cross!"

An apparition appeared in the air. An old celestial spirit in the shape of a T levitated in the air, snoring. The moment his eyes opened and landed on Lucy did she mutter the enchantment to close his gate. She took the scroll, wrapped up the key and tied it with nimble fingers.

And then she ran.

It seemed like forever before she finally stopped at the sound of a stream. Her throat was parched, she was saturated with sweat, and she was panting loudly. Every so often she would look behind her to make sure the trio weren't chasing after her. They weren't to her relief and as an estimate, Lucy surmised that she'd been running for at least half-an-hour without making any stops.

Adrenaline ran through her veins boosting her speed. Her will to get away from them was her focal point. During the time she'd been running, an epiphany had come to her. This was how her life was going to be now, everyone she met would have to be a stranger. She couldn't get attached to anyone too easily. If she did, than she would be dragged back to the Heartfilia mansion, to Lord Geer...

She walked towards the stream, she squatted down and drank some water. All of a sudden she felt like she wasn't alone. Someone was staring intently at her. She looked behind her. In the morning sun she could make out the frame of a very familiar face. He wore an eloquent black suit, and a stoic expression on his face. Her heart dropped and legs turned to jelly.

Sebastian merely stood a foot away from her.

 _Holy shit!_

* * *

 **AmityStarrlight and me decided that we are going to update multiple chapters at once. Like we mentioned before, we finished the first book already and we think it's good that we have the story on FF site. We thank you for reading so far and adding this story to your favorite or follow list. See you next time.**


	7. Book I-Chapter 7

"Se-Sebastian," Lucy stammered.

"Lucy," he acknowledged her with a nod of his head. Even though she was not in the Heartfilia mansion and she was deemed a runaway, he still played along with the charade of being a good butler. Sebastian had been the one to betray her to Lord Geer. Back at the Heartfilia mansion, she would be prepping for her upcoming wedding, going through the tedious arrangements and process of courting him.

"You look quite different," he said coolly as if just a few hours ago he hadn't attacked her.

Whatever remnants of betrayal she'd kept stored in her for the past few months and night went to her hand and she could feel it aiming for Sebastian's face. The amount of tears she shed wouldn't have changed a thing. A slap to Sebastian's face wouldn't compare to the pain she'd felt when he'd started turning cold to her.

Now, she didn't know how she had considered him a friend. She realized that the understanding boy she knew was all just a façade to lure her into Lord Geer's master plan. To get her keys. The keys that'd once belonged to her mother and were the only things her father hadn't been able to get his hands on.

He snagged her wrist and smiled, "Not only do you look different but you act it as well."

"If given the chance I would do a lot worse to you after everything you've done to me," she admonished. Her tone was full of contempt.

"Out of all things I've pegged you for, I'd never think of you as close-minded," Sebastian said. "After all those times we shared I thought you would've figured it out."

 _What the heck is he talking about?_

Then images started racing back at her, the times when Sebastian looked sickly and cold. Him opening his mouth as if he was going to tell her a forbidden secret but then closing it in the last possible second in fear of someone hearing. Or the sudden dismal of the topic of his parents.

"Shared? Everything you've ever told me was a lie. Everything!" she exclaimed, un-snagging her wrist. "You used me from the start, Sebastian, you were never a friend. You were always with him. And I told you everything like a fool!"

"I can't deny you that, I'm sorry, Lucy. There's a lot more to what you know, Lord Geer is my true master, one that I'm sworn to for all eternity," he explained. "He told me to befriend you, study you and find out if you possessed the keys that the Lady had. Then when I got promoted to butler by your father, everything worked out in my favor. You were separated from everyone under my watch. If I don't do what he says then I break my oath."

Lucy processed what he was saying. But she shook her head. How did she know that what he was saying was not part of the plan to capture her? How did she know this was not Lord Geer's orders? Sebastian was a user of dark magic, servant or not.

Sebastian was more than qualified to be a user of dark spells. It didn't matter that he was here confronting Lucy about Lord Geer, he was still a threat to her. One that couldn't easily be reckoned with.

"How can I be sure what you're telling me is not lies?"

"Take a look for yourself," Sebastian raised his sleeve. Lucy's eyes widened when she saw a dark orb-like mark etched into his skin that was slowly creeping its way up his arm. "Every time I'm not around Master Geer, I'm drawing from my own magical source, which has limits."

From her view Lucy could see black ink circulating around the orb, outlining his veins. And although Sebastian tried to hide it, Lucy could see the slightest discomfort sign of discomfort in his eyes. She didn't know if she could truly believe him.

 _All this time he's been a puppet just like..._

Lucy stopped herself at that thought. Sebastian was not like her in the slightest way. He was a dark magic user and could end her life any minute now. Or he could compel her to go back to Heartfilia mansion and marry Lord Geer. The thoughts that she deemed foreboding were treading on a thin string.

There was something about the look in his eyes or the fact that he could kill her or compel her at any time he choose to that made him dangerous. As much as she didn't like to admit it, she and Sebastian shared one genuine thing in common; they were both indeed puppets. He to Lord Geer and she to her father.

"Still don't believe me?" Sebastian queried.

"I... I don't know!" Lucy cried. "You tell me that you were sent to spy on me for my keys and now you're trying to help me and not to mention you attacked me!"

He lowered his head slightly as if he were ashamed of his behavior. "I had to be sure."

"You could've killed me!"

"But I didn't. The attack I used was going to send you into a comatose state."

"Why does he want my keys?"

"My lord has his own reasons, even reasons he won't tell his most trusted servants," Sebastian replied. He slightly emphasized 'most trusted servants.' Lucy seemed to notice this but didn't say anything in response. She and Sebastian looked at each other in silence, both of their eyes scanning each other for any sudden change in expression. The black ink was now on his left arm having sketched rune symbols onto his face.

"If I said I believed you, how can I be assured that you aren't tricking me?"

"When you reach Ismitch town, it will be filled with guards hunting you down and the borders of the forest to the southeast are filled with monsters that your father put. The only way out of the forest is through Diablo," he explained while handing her a black amulet shaped like a Yucan canine in hurried manner.

"What?" Lucy croaked in disbelief.

 _Diablo? And the townspeople, Father will do such a horrid thing?_

"I don't have much time left but he'll help you, and this to," Sebastian said handing her backpack that was notably full and motioning his head to look behind her. She did and across the stream Diablo appeared. Her black steed greeting her with a nod of his massive head.

"Be safe," she heard Sebastian tell her before looking back to the trunk of a tree

 _There's no time, Lucy, his magic may have thrown Natsu and Levy and the flying cat off but they can still be nearby._

She took a deep breath and decided that she would have to trust Sebastian's words, as much as she hated to, but he was her only hope of getting away from the grasps of the Fairy Tail mages, the monsters and her father. Lucy crossed over the stream. The current made it hard for her to find her balance. With much difficulty she made it across and got on Diablo with soaked feet.

He neighed and took off. He went through the woods just merely passing dangling branches and uneven roots. Sebastian was still ringing through Lucy's mind; his words and him being a puppet. She was certain that she had to be on her guard and would consult with Capricorn as soon as she got out of the woods. It was best for her celestial spirits not to be summoned. Their summoning would act as a beacon to the Fairy Tail mages and her father and give them her location.

She had no definite plan as to what she was going to do when she was out of their hands but before leaving she had to at least sneak into Mr. Bero's grave and pay her respects to him. Her father would never have allowed her to something like that, despite him having been her celestial magic teacher for the past two years.

The idea had come to her when she'd been riding Diablo. The key that was now safely nestled into the depth of her back pack and she believed it was the next step to finding the location of the other golden key. It was almost as if Mr. Bero was rewarding her for finally running away from that horrible mansion. Despite Sebastian's words and the mages that were after her, she couldn't run away without saying a final goodbye to her teacher.

She was almost to the edge of the forest, a cut out that lead to a shack. She eyed her surrounding noting how desolate the place seemed. She went to the clothing line and pulled on the worn cloak, pulling it over herself. In its place, she left a golden coin Sebastian had placed in her bag.

"Come on, boy," she said as she got onto him and she rode towards the town.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading. :)**


	8. Book I-Chapter 8

The sun was now completely awake and the woods were filled with sunlight. Lucy estimated that she'd been up for about four hours now. Natsu and his guild mates were nowhere to be detected for the forty five minute ride Lucy had been doing. She'd stopped and eaten from the prepped biscuits Sebastian had surprisingly packed in her back pack along with other necessities and gotten on Diablo again. She hadn't eaten a proper meal in over ten hours, so the scraps of biscuit felt like heaven to her.

Since her deviation, Lucy had enough time to settle her nerves and get herself together. This was how she planned to be from the start. Free and alone. With no one telling her to do anything she didn't want to do.

"When all of this is over, Diablo, I promise we'll go to an apple orchard and you can eat all the apples you want in the world," she said slightly laughing at the foolish idea.

 _Just a little more time._

But first she needed to visit Mr. Bero's place and find a way to avoid the soldiers Sebastian had warned her about. It was going to be tricky especially with the Fairy Tail people on her shoulders but she could do it. This was something she needed to do on her own.

And she could always ask Capricorn about a plan when she summoned him. The goat spirit was not only a good fighter but he was a capable strategist. Lucy was sure she could find a way to escape everyone with the help from him. Out of all her spirits, he was the most devious one.

Diablo neighed at the idea as if he was agreeing with her. She smiled and a shortcut to the Ismitch cemetery appeared through the trees. The cemetery had conveniently been built at the edge of the forest, so going back would be no problem. The only problem Lucy faced was going to the front of the cemetery where the new burials were without being seen.

Diablo crept through the cemetery seemingly not minding the dead bodies the lay beneath his feet. As they passed the headstones, Lucy couldn't help but get the chills at the gothic headstones. After minutes of riding, she could make out the mausoleum in the front. Lucy got off of him and began walking toward the pile of gravestones that had been newly dug up. It took her several minutes to get there while dodging various headstones.

Then she saw it.

 **Callous Bero**

 **A loving brother and teacher.**

 **X704-X782**

Crouching down Lucy put down the wildflowers she'd picked from one of the bushes in the forest. Diablo stood next to her bowing his head in respect. "Thank you, Mr. Bero, for all that you've taught me and all that I'm going to find out because of you. I promise I'll find the rest of the Golden Keys and protect them. I..."

"It's time to go, Lucy," an urgent voice said behind Lucy startling her.

Capricorn stood behind her. His eyes were alert and he was scanning around the cemetery. "Capricorn?"

"Something's not right about this town, there's no one," Capricorn said.

 _That's because of father._

"Sebastian told me that Father ordered the soldiers to round up everybody."

"That's not what's wrong, Lucy. Don't you feel this dark magic? We have to get out of here now. I'm afraid Sebastian is your foe and not your ally," Capricorn said quickly.

She felt the dark magic in the town now. When she'd gotten here there was nothing and when she'd entered it. It was as almost as if it had been activated. She stared at Capricorn as realization poured into her, she was being set up by Sebastian. He was going to entrap her in the town's barriers so they could take her back to the Heartfilia mansion.

"Lucy, let's go now," Capricorn urged her. She got on top of Diablo and started to ride back to Ismitch forest. Only there was a chain of black molecules bound together preventing her from going back. She gulped and looked to Capricorn.

"You need to go to the other side of town," he instructed.

"But there'll be tons of soldiers there."

"I'll figure something out."

"You can't!"

"Lucy, I promised Layla that I would protect you. Getting a few scratches won't be a problem."

 _But you're going to get more than a few scratches._

He slapped the back of Diablo and the black steed neighed and ran to the entrance of the cemetery. It was open and just as Lucy assumed the road that lead them into the town that was desolate. No family members were going to visit their loved ones.

That was right. The townsfolk were together bustled around the town square in lines looking for a Lucy Heartfilia amongst them. She doubted that any of the townsfolk would want to shelter her after the harsh punishment her father was making sure they were receiving. The thought sickened her and made tears come to her eyes.

What he was doing was meant to break her. He was trying to make her surrender to him and marry a dark magic user who probably wasn't even human. Lucy didn't know much about Lord Geer other than the fact that he was a lot more powerful than she'd imagined and a high influential figure. Even if her father had a change of heart, as if it was ever going to happen, Lord Geer would still find a way for her to be his.

Diablo's hoofs hit against the stone ground of the town. Shops were closed, windows were drawn and there was no noise. It would seem like a ghost town if not for the pleas of a crowd in the town square. After several minutes of navigating her way through the town, she saw nothing but empty carriages. The town square was to the nearer front of the town. The road to the north of it was the way out of town.

She got off of Diablo and peeked from the side of a building. She sucked in a deep breath of air and prepared herself for the sight she was about to encounter. Lucy gasped aloud and stood rigid as the sight of guards holding down a boy and pressing a knife to his neck appeared.

"Where is she?" the guard yelled. "If no one 'fesses up he's dying."

"Please, stop, please," a woman begged. Her face was a mess of tears and uneven skin as she tried to grab onto the guard's shoes. Her shackled hands prevented her from doing so and she fell back into the line of the first row of townsfolk.

Despite the protests and shouts of false accusation of where Lucy was, the guards continued holding the boy down. The mother's cries were getting more hysterical and Lucy was reaching her breaking point.

I _can't! I need to get out of here!_

The boy screamed louder when the blade dug deeper into his neck drawing blood. Lucy instinctively reached for Cancer's key but a gust of flames stopped her in her midst. The guard was scorched and the guards holding the boy down were blown away by a wind the blunette conjured.

"My lady, you must go now," Capricorn told her as he appeared next to her. And it was then when Natsu met her eyes.

His suspicions were proven correct. She was Lucy Heartfilia, a celestial mage and fugitive of the Heartfilia mansion. She looked away, her thoughts overshadowed by the screams of the townsfolk and recurring troops of guards.

Lucy glanced to the east of her. The barrier was almost closing and she needed to get out here as fast as possible. She got on Diablo and lightly kicked his side. She rode off in the direction of the entrance of Ismitch town. The guards were there and they lined up informational style and to the front of them was Sebastian.

"Well, well, we meet again," he said a devious smile on his face, "Did you enjoy your homecoming party?"

* * *

 **Thank you once again for reading. :)**


	9. Book I-Chapter 9

Lucy didn't know what to think as she saw Sebastian and a group of troops blocked the only way out the town. There were the feelings of being stupid and hopeless of how she trusted Sebastian once again. For every good deed he did, she had to pay twice over. Natsu, Levy and Happy were in the background helping the towns people. None of them would help her if she were in trouble. Why would they since she abandoned them and she wasn't truthful to them?

Lucy gripped Diablo's mane tightly. She rubbed his side gently with her heel, urging him to back up.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Sebastian threatened. He stepped toward her. Dark magic clung to every pore of his body.

"I already told you I won't go back to that prison," Lucy replied. She raised her chin and her brown eyes flashed with defiant fire.

"I can find other means to make you return home," Sebastian's dark voice echoed through the distance between them.

He accosted her slowly. For his every step, Diablo retreated, taking her back into the chaos within the town. She could hear screams from the women. Fire crackled from the houses. There was the commotion of people running or either fighting for their lives. Diablo began swinging his huge head from side to side. Lucy tried to reassure him that everything was going to be all right by patting his side. But from the dark magic emanating from Sebastian, she could understand her steed's nervousness.

"I will put a good fight," she warned.

"I never expected anything less from the spirited Lady Heartfilia."

"Good."

"But I also know that you wouldn't risk the lives of other people around you. Think about how much you're hurting them by not going home like a good girl should." He was playing dirty.

She frowned as she knew there was some truth to his words. She almost witnessed a small boy losing his life just so someone would confess her whereabouts. Imagine how many others would die if they associated themselves with her. She was left with no other choice but to avoid people. It meant stopping at towns and villages to replenish supplies were no longer available.

She had to stick to the woods.

Diablo neighed uneasily as a child ran in front of him. Dirt and terror marred the small boy's face. Lucy's eyes widened with horror when Sebastian raised a hand in front of the child, freezing him into place. Darkness swirled from his hand and surrounded the child. She threw herself off of Diablo, landing hard on the dirty ground. The boy's frame stiffened. His eyes turned white. Dark tendrils wrapped around his body as the boy's mouth opened in a silent scream. Then his body went limp. He fell to the ground.

"No!" Lucy shouted at the boy's fallen body. The boy was the same one who was threatened not too long ago. "Why?"

"Things would have been so much easier if you only came with me," Sebastian's voice whispered close to her ear. She pulled back in fright when she saw that Sebastian's tall frame was hovering over her. One of his hands smoothen out her hair. "Look at you. You're as pale as a ghost."

The troops surrounded them. In the distance, Lucy could hear Diablo's hoofs hitting the earth. His neigh was turning into a panicked one. Quickly, she glanced around her. Soldiers were all around her. There was little chance to escape unscathed. A hand clutched at the keys under her shirt. Against all hopes of using her keys, she might have to summon one of her spirits after all. And if she did, Sebastian would have a better chance of trailing her magic, thanks to the fire user who was able to sense magical traces on her person.

She cursed at the thought of having the other guards see her use celestial magic. It was one thing to show she could summon celestial spirits to Sebastian but for others to see her spirits was another thing. Her identity would be exposed and word would travel far and wide about her ability to summon celestial spirits. She would become a target. And she would be hunted down.

Sebastian's lips curled into a half smile as his dark eyes roved her form. She suppressed a shiver and narrowed her eyes on him. "I told you I won't go back." She raised her head until she was looking him in the eyes. "And I'll do whatever it takes to not to go back."

She would be damned if she didn't put up a good fight. But what could she do?

Her eyes shut tightly as her hands went limp. She could feel cold and clammy hands gripping her arms, forcing her to stand upright. She bowed her head, letting the pale strands of her hair cover her face. The guards were practically dragging her feet across the floor before they halted. She felt Sebastian's menacing aura before she felt his hot breath against her cheek. His tone was so low, that it was meant only for her ears to hear. "I will distract the guards and you will have a chance to break for the cemetery. There is no one there waiting for you there."

Lucy raised her head until she saw him motioning with his eyes which path to run. Carefully, she made her face remain blank as all of a sudden Diablo reared back, causing the troops to divert their attention to him.

"Now," Sebastian roughly whispered in her ear. The grips from her arms lessened. She jerked her arms from within their grasps and ran the other way that she came from. She headed for the cemetery, never once looking over her shoulder. Footsteps died behind her as she zigzagged her way to making it to her tutor's burial site.

She once stopped to pay her respects. Now she was using it as refuge until the battle in Ismitch Town settled.

"I'm so sorry," she cried as she stooped before the tomb stone. "I never meant for things to turn this way. I never meant for innocent lives to be lost because of me." Tears leaked from her eyes. She wiped them away with the back of her hands. She huddled over and was so lost in her grief that she never heard the sudden approach of footsteps.

"It's not your fault," a familiar voice said. Glancing up, she saw Capricorn standing before her. He adjusted his shades before he knelt before her. "This is just the beginning of a war your mother predicted will happen."

"W-ha-t war?" she asked with a croaky voice.

"The war between darkness and light."

"Darkness and light?" she repeated.

"Summon your silver key. Crux will explain everything you need to know."

"Then you will have to disappear."

"No, I will be able to stay since I'm not pulling your magic to keep me in the earth world."

Lucy formed an "O" with her lips, understanding that certain celestial spirits were able to sustain themselves in the earth world by getting their magic from a different source. Capricorn was one of the rare celestial spirits who could do so. She wiped the last of her tears before searching through her pockets. She blanched when she realized that the silver key was missing. Maybe it was in her knapsack. She was about to pull the straps from her shoulders, when she felt nothing.

"Oh gosh no!" she cried out.

Capricorn lips eased into a small smile. In a flash of bright light, her bag popped by her side. "I took it with me when I warned you to escape."

Her heart thundered in her ears as it was slowly dawning on her how much she didn't know about Capricorn, her mother's closest spirit. There were a lot of abilities that he could do but because she couldn't summon her spirits within her home for the fear of her father finding out about them, she remained ignorant about their capabilities.

"Thank you," she whispered. She opened her bag and reached for a scroll. Rolling open the scroll, the silver key fell out from a small pouch that she didn't recall seeing in Levy's possession. In the hand written words on the scroll, the sentences appeared garbled. "Nothing makes sense."

She grabbed the key. Her fingers curled over the smooth metal. Instantly, a warmth spread throughout her right arm and spiraled into her chest. Her breath caught in her throat. It was the same action she felt toward her other golden keys. Apparently, this was a good sign that the key accepted her as his new master.

"Open gate of the Southern Cross," she chanted and an apparition appeared before her. An elderly spirit hovered in the air. His eyes were open and alert as they assessed her. His arms and legs were crossed.

Lucy cleared her throat as she felt the spirit's eyes leave her to look at Capricorn.

"Ah, Capricorn. It's good to see you again," the old spirit greeted the goat spirit.

"It's been a long time," Capricorn returned.

"I assume things are grim?" the old spirit said as he turned to look at the tomb stone of his previous master.

The goat spirit nodded his head.

"And she's the one?"

He nodded once again.

The elderly spirit turned beady eyes on her and Lucy couldn't help but fidget under his intense stare. "You do realize the weight of the situation you are in?"

"No," Lucy whispered. Her hands tightened on the edge of her black shirt.

"Look at the scroll carefully and decode it the way Mr. Bero taught you to read messages," the spirit demanded her.

She approached the scroll and finished rolled it out against the grass. Each word was written weirdly to an untrained eye but she immediately recognized the letters her tutor wanted her to see. Those letters formed into words and soon a sentence was mapped clearly into her mind.

"Twelve golden keys open the doors of light, to rein out darkness that consumes the world," she said out loud.

The floating spirit bobbed his head up and down as his approval shown on his face. "That's right. How many golden keys are there in total?"

Lucy frowned as she looked up the spirit. "Originally there are twelve keys, not counting the mythical thirteenth key."

"Good. And do you know if any celestial wizard who possess all of the twelve keys? "

"No. Only the first celestial wizard possessed the twelve keys. After her timely death, the keys were separated to prevent any celestial user from having incredible power."

"And yet you possess three of the golden keys?"

Lucy didn't know how to answer that question. She could admit the truth but what if the elderly spirit wanted her to part from her keys?

"She does," Capricorn answered for her. She peered over her shoulder at him, giving him a sour expression. He simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Which ones?"

"Aquarius, Cancer and myself."

"The original master?"

"Her mother."

"Hello, I'm over here," Lucy waved her hands in their faces to remind them of her presence.

The floating spirit smiled at her. "You need to gather all twelve of the golden keys before the world is consumed by the darkness."

"Excuse me?"

"An old war is approaching us once again. Darkness versus light. Demons are once again walking amongst the humans and are getting rid of the only sources that can fight them. Your mother and teacher predicted that this war was going to start once celestial wizards were being hunted and killed. The demons search for the twelve keys that can open the doors to their demise and they will destroy those keys," the elderly spirit explained to her with a stern face.

"Are you saying that the faith of the world falls into my hands?" Lucy asked. She was stunned by the sudden information thrust upon her. "As it is, I'm trying to escape my father, some dark users, and some other members who claimed to be from Fairy Tail."

The spirit looked at her skeptically. "Does one of them have salmon hair, wear oddly clothes, and grins a lot?"

Lucy's body went rigid as she wondered how did the spirit know such information unless... She gulped at her next words. "How do you know?"

"He's standing behind you."

She and Capricorn turned around to see the fire user grinning at them with his arms crossed over his muscled chest. He casually leaned against a tree as his onyx eyes wandered her form. His grin turned into a smirk. "Nice to see you Layla or Lucy Heartfilia."

* * *

 **Thank you once again for reading. :)**


	10. Book I-Chapter 10

The fire user stared at her with amusement as she gaped at him in shock. How long was he standing behind her and how much of Crux's explanation did he hear?

She never expected for him to find her after what happened in town. She thought he, the blue haired girl and the flying cat were helping the towns people. If he was here, the commotion in town was probably over. Which brought about another question. How long had she been in the cemetery?

"What are you doing here?" she asked with a child like voice. Briefly, she glanced at Capricorn to see if he could direct her what to do. Instead the goat spirit carefully watched everything. He flicked his eyes to her so that she would give the pink haired guy her full attention.

"I should be asking you the same question."

"I'm here for business of my own." Lucy straightened to her full height so she wouldn't feel intimidated by the fire wizard.

"You could say I'm here for the same reason too."

"Your business doesn't involve me."

His smirk grew wider. "That's where you're wrong. You have everything to do with my business since I discover you are the person I'm searching for."

She frowned at him. "But your job is done. I have the silver key and I'm here at Mr. Bero's burial site."

There was a moment of silence before the male before her lowered his arms to the side and moved away from the tree. "I'm quite curious about your power and the golden keys your spirit mentioned."

It was Lucy's turn to fold her arms across her ample chest. His eyes followed her movement and she could have sworn something flashed in his dark eyes. "Celestial magic is secretive magic. Only those who possess celestial magic can know it's true form."

"I understand for my magic works in the same way but your magic is targeted by unknown enemies and for this particular reason I have a right to know why."

She inhaled sharply before letting it go. "I don't know the exact reason except for what you heard from my spirit, Crux." She pointed to the old spirit who was calmly floating in the air, sitting in a genie position.

The fire wizard looked away from her to the spirit. "So whoever is hunting celestial wizards are after the golden keys?"

"Yes. And there are twelve of them. My new master has three of them. There is another one to obtain."

The spirit's words made Lucy's head snap into his direction. "What are you talking about?"

"My former master left you with the duty to seek the twelve golden keys before the demons find and destroy them. The golden keys are mankind's only hope to save the world from being devoured by darkness."

The guy's forehead crinkled. "Are you saying that demons will inhabit the earth once again?"

The elderly spirit nodded his head.

"What do you mean once again?" Lucy asked, feeling lost in the conversation.

Natsu turned onyx eyes to her and her breath caught in her throat. She forgot the intensity of his stare once he was serious. "Before humans or dragons existed, demons roamed the earth. They were forced back into hell by angels, making room for new life."

"Correct." The grandfatherly spirit beamed at fire wizard's knowledge. "But not all demons returned to hell. Some were left in the earth world and they have been looking for ways to bring back their kind to earth. Some of those ways is through reproduction. Demons mate with humans to have demon offspring. Others find items called artifacts that retains the demon's spirit."

"It's like the celestial keys," Lucy added.

"Only we are not demons," the spirit clarified with her.

Understanding dawned in her brown eyes. "I see."

"As for the other key, my lady, we need to find it," Lucy's other spirit reminded her. She jumped at hearing his voice. She had completely forgotten Capricorn's presence.

"But how?"

"I can help with that," Crux informed her. "My mission is to help you gather all your keys and to tell you useful information about them. However, I can't give you the exact locations. I can only feel their presence when I am in a certain range of their location. As for the key you are looking for, it's beneath your feet."

"What?" Lucy's mouth opened. She looked at the ground and her mouth twisted. "I don't like where this is going?"

Natsu looked down at Mr. Bero's grave. From the way his eyebrows rose, she knew he drew the same conclusion.

"The key rests with his former master," Crux replied. "Now, my lady -."

"Lucy," she interrupted. "You may call me Lucy."

The old spirit's face scrunched for a moment before he said her name, "Lu-cy, our magic is being depleted. Since you have no further need of my assistance, I shall take my leave." Then he vanished in a flash of light.

"I wonder if celestial spirits are angels...," Natsu voiced his opinion.

"Excuse me."

"Well, your magic appears to contain light."

She looked blank. "I don't think so. They have their own world and they are able to travel from their world to ours through summoners."

"The demons were able to travel from their world into ours as well," he pointed out. She couldn't argue with him.

Instead she shifted her attention to the coffin that lay beneath the lush coat of green grass. She didn't like the idea of having to go on her hands and knees to dig her way into her tutor's grave. It seemed wrong, like she was disrespecting her tutor, and she didn't want to get dirty.

"My lady, I can help you get to him," Capricorn said. Feeling relieved that she didn't have to dig the body, she left the job into capable hands. Once Capricorn dug his way to the coffin, he alerted her it was time for her to get what she was searching for. There was a sense of impending doom as she walked closer to the black coffin that laid out of the freshly dug grave. The lock was broken. All she had to do was raised the lid and search for the key. Yet the thought of seeing a dead body didn't rest easily with her. She bit her lip as she lifted her hand to the lid. Her arm hovered in the air and she swallowed the sudden fear to leap away from the coffin.

"Do you want me to do it?" the fire user's voice quietly asked from next to her. He remained silent, standing next to her while Capricorn dug and removed the coffin from the grave.

She closed her eyes and shook her head. "I can do it."

She opened her eyes. Her fingers trembled when she reached for the clasp, and her skin was cold against the cool surface of the coffin. Fear and grief build inside her when she finally raised the coffin's lid. Laying peacefully in a deep sleep with his arms splayed out across his chest, Lucy noticed how different her tutor appeared. She imagined what his final moments must have been like before he died. He had thick coarse skin. It was pale and cold. He was dressed in a black suit, which reminded her the last time she saw him dressed in a similar one was for one of her family's parties.

Her vision began to get blurry as her mouth trembled. Natsu reached out with his hands, searching the man's body for any clue of the golden key. Natsu moved one side of the jacket and Lucy saw something gleamed in the light. She extended her arms and her fingers closed over cool metal. Suddenly a warmth rushed from her fingertips to her chest. Her heart rate increased as she realized another key accepted her.

She brought the key to her chest and clutched it tightly between her fingers. From the brief inscription of the key, she recognized it as Sagittarius. All she knew was the spirit was an archer. When her magic was replenished, she would summon Crux to inform her about Sagittarius' abilities.

Natsu closed the coffin and he easily dragged the coffin and placed it in its original spot. Lucy spun around and looked at Capricorn with questioning eyes. She didn't know what to do now that she had a golden key in her possession.

"What do I do now?" she questioned her main concern to her trustworthy spirit.

He shrugged his shoulders. "We look for the other keys."

"No you don't," the fire user interjected.

She craned her neck, her gazed focused on him. "What did you say?"

"I have to take you to Fairy Tail since you're a wizard," he simply said.

"No." She shook her head. "I have to look for the other keys."

She never saw him move. With a blink of her eyes, he closed the distance between them. His face hardened as his dark eyes bore into her. Only his tone remained gentle. "I'm sorry, Lucy. I have no other choice." Then his strong arms wrapped around her, closing her in an iron grip.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading. We hope you are enjoying the story so far. :)**


	11. Book I-Chapter 11

Lucy wasn't a combative fighter. As a lady, she had to use charms, allure and the status of her name to get her way. But being in the arms of a male was a different story all together. She wasn't in her home where gentlemen kept their distance or asked for permission to simply escort her into the dining room for dinner. This infuriating male wouldn't leave her alone, even if he knew her reason for having to venture on her own to find the golden keys.

"Let me go!" she demanded. She tried to shove him away from her but her hands were trapped between their bodies. Her palms pressed against his hard and exposed chest. It was only then Lucy realized the state of his undress. She could feel the unnatural heat radiating from his form. Her fingers twitched and his muscles responded from her slight touch. Her pulse quickened as her cheeks flushed.

The fire user looked at her with sharp black eyes as if assessing her. She bent her head to cover her mortification. She was afraid of what he thought of her. She didn't want to give him any further advantage.

"No," he simply said.

And the sudden burst of energy revived in her. She struggled to break from his grasp. If possible, he tightened his hold. Then he caught her off guard by lifting her body in the air until her feet were dangling by his chins. She wiggled in his arms, attempting to kick him with her feet when he let her go. A squeak escaped her lips as she lost her balance. She was going to fall head first on the floor.

His arms swept around her and positioned her against his body once more. She tried to move but his hold loosened, reminding her of what almost happened before. She opted to curve her arms around his shoulders and clasp her hands at the back of his neck to prevent him from acting on his threat. She closed her eyes so she wouldn't have to stare at him.

It was then she realized that she stood no chance of getting away from the man in front of her. He was tall. Muscular. Too powerful. Too close.

His eyes was the most frightening part about him. When his eyes captured hers, she could see the gold ring between the equally black of his pupils and equally black irises. Predator eyes.

She could smell his body- musky with heat and sandalwood. Before she could stop herself, she leaned her head into his body and breathed in his scent. His gaze snapped down to her nose and then to her lips.

Something brushed over her skin, hot and electric. Like his magical aura was emanating from his powerful body, consuming her. Or it could be from his piercing gaze. Whatever it was, left her body in a quivering mess.

She swallowed. She was too frightened to open her eyes.

"Do you possibly think you can get away from them if I left you alone?" he murmured close to her ear.

She shivered, completely baffled at her body's response to this male. The other times she was with him, she noticed he was quite handsome in a roguish way but her pulse didn't quicken nor did she have problems breathing properly.

Perhaps the reason had to do with how he was holding her. He saved her a couple of times. The first time was from the guards pursuing her. The second time was from the monster's attack. Of all those times, he was a hands breadth apart from her but with his body pressing against hers, she couldn't help but notice how hard and hot he felt against her.

"There are people after you and Fairy Tail can offer you protection." However, his words broke through the fog. Her eyes snapped open as she tilted her head back. They were on eye level as she glared defiantly at him.

"I can do fine by myself. Now that you know who I am, you will know that I have my celestial spirits to help me."

His lips twisted into a half grin. "And you think you have enough magical energy to call on your spirits if you have to face your enemies."

"Excuse me," she huffed. If she didn't have to rely on holding him to keep her balance, she would have crossed her arms over her ample chest.

He chuckled and she felt the vibration throughout her body. "No offense, Lucy." She ignored how her name sounded coming from his lips. "You didn't call on your spirit to help you in the battle against the monster nor during the time the town was attacked."

"That's because I didn't want to expose my identity in front of others -."

"Or you were hoping for someone else to step in and save you."

Lucy wished her glare can burn holes through his eyes. Why did he have to be such an insufferable bastard?

"I wasn't hoping for anything else. I was trying to think of other ways to get away from you and the others without resorting to magic. I'm not like you who can use magic for everything."

His face hardened as his dark eyes turned into steel. "Is that what you think? I use magic for everything?"

Her eyes widened at the sudden change in his attitude. If she thought he was scary before, she was wrong. He was much more frightening now. She had seen him with serious expressions, but feeling the brute force of it left her shaking. He was one person she didn't want to have as a foe. She opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out.

"Fairy Tail is the number one magical guild that allows wizards like ourselves to use our powers. Anywhere and everywhere else, there are bans or restrictions to how we use our powers. And don't talk about how people fear us and view us as monsters because we are different from them. I'm looking out for your safety. If anyone finds out you're a wizard and you don't belong to a magical guild, they have the right to do whatever they want to you."

That thought never occurred to her. She knew that wizards were being hunted due to the fact they were considered unfavorable but she never thought that regular people were behind the disappearance of those wizards. The events in Ismitch town gave people a reason to fear wizards.

"Are you so stupid to put your life on the line to gather twelve keys?"

She shut her eyes to prevent the moisture from rolling down her cheeks. "I have to try."

"You won't last one day on your own."

"I still have to try to gather what is left of the keys."

She didn't feel what happened next. Everything was a blur. She found herself on her knees before him. Only he was standing quite some distance away from her.

"Show me," he said. He stretched his muscled arms above his head.

Lucy gulped nervously. "What?"

"Show me how you can survive on your own," he demanded. He cracked his knuckles, his gaze never left her form.

"H-how?" she squeaked.

"First stand on your two feet and then fight me."

Lucy was shocked. "You can't expect me to fight you. You're a guy and I'm a girl."

He roared with laughter. He held one hand to his abdomen as he bent over. "You've gotta be kidding me?"

"No."

When he calmed down he stood up causally. "Obviously you never met Erza Scarlet. If she were here, she will knock some sense into you."

She frowned. "Erza?"

"A fellow guild member from Fairy Tail. She's a female and can kick any male's ass."

Her cheeks reddened. She put her hands on her hips. "For your information, I was brought up to be a lady. And a lady doesn't fight."

"For your information, you're not in your little world anymore. This is the real world and here, men, women and children have to fight for their lives."

Was he correct? From the moment Lucy left her house, she only encountered danger. Every single second, she was looking over her shoulder. She had seen a boy lose his life because of her. Maybe it was better that she returned home and married Lord Geer.

"If you plan to be on your own, prove to me you can fight."

"Maybe you're right. I should give in," she said after some silence. She lowered her head causing her blond hair to conceal her face.

"Really? You're going to give in now?" The fire user crossed his arms over his chest. "That's such a big disappointment."

"No it's not." Her face raised as fire burned in her eyes. "I'm going to fight you and prove to you that I can support myself."

The wizard unfolded his arms and a grin formed on his handsome face. "That's what I want to see. Show me what you can do."

She narrowed her eyes onto him as her hand clutched at her golden chain hidden beneath her black shirt. His dark eyes followed her movement and her breath caught at the sudden gleam there.

"I'm all fired up," he said. He punched a fist into his hand. His grin turned into a smirk.

Lucy swallowed, again seeing a different side of him. "Open gate of the giant crab." There was a flash of bright light, followed by a doorbell sound and a tall male spirit stood beside her. He appeared to be human, dressed in blue striped shirt, long dressy black pants, and polished black shoes. He wore shades and in his hands he wielded scissors. His human appearance ended there. He had crab legs that jutted out from his back and antlers that popped from his head. Cancer was her mother's spirit and he used scissors both as a hair stylist and as a weapon. However, she never called on him to fight battles. She could only hope that he used his previous experience from working with her mother to fight this battle.

"What can I do for you, ebi?" His scissors snapped together as he sized up his opponent.

"Fight him in battle and win." Lucy pointed to Natsu. "If we win, we are free to search for the rest of the golden keys."

"Got it, ebi." Cancer didn't wait. He ran and swiped his scissors at his foe only for the fire wizard to vanish. He turned around in time to deflect a fire punch coming right at him but he couldn't stop the kick in his midsection. Cancer flew back into a headstone.

"Cancer, are you okay?" Lucy called out to him.

Cancer got up and shook his head. Debris flew everywhere. The fire wizard cracked his knuckles and then motioned with an open hand to Cancer to attack him. The spirit took bait and raced to swing one scissor hand in an arc. His other scissor hand moved to meet the first one, only the fire wizard wasn't in his spot.

"Behind you!" Lucy screamed.

"Fire dragon roar." The fire wizard curled his fingers around his mouth and blew fire. She watched with shock as Cancer tried to dodge the flames. But whichever way he ran, the inferno followed him until he got burned. He crumbled to the ground.

"Cancer!" Lucy finally shouted. She dashed to his side.

"Don't," Cancer tried to warn her but it was too late.

"Fire dragon roar." Another set of flames blew from the fire wizard's mouth and was heading toward her. Lucy couldn't evade it and settled to hunch over her spirit. Last minute, Cancer turned their bodies so that he was in the way of the flames.

"No!" Lucy screamed in vain for her spirit.

She felt his protection faded as his warmth disappeared, leaving Lucy alone to face her opponent.

Her body trembled but something shimmered in her eyes. Slowly, she rose to her feet.

"Is this the best you can do?" he asked her.

"No," she shook her head. "I have more spirits for you to meet."

"I'm really fired up now," he said. His smirk turned into a full blown grin.

* * *

 **Thank you once again for reading. :)**


	12. Book I-Chapter 12

Lucy watched his smirk turned into a full blown grin and despite his face being good looking, she wanted to punch that smile off of it. He may be a better warrior and had more experience with using his magic, but she could find ways to outsmart him. She needed to buy time. But how?

She clutched at the remaining keys under her shirt. She already summoned Cancer and he was worn out from battle. She wouldn't be able to call on him until he was fully healed. Crux, was another spirit she couldn't summon because she exhausted her magical use for him to find her newly acquired golden key. There was Capricorn and Aquarius. Aquarius was her trump card but without water, she couldn't summon her most powerful spirit.

That left Capricorn.

She craned her head to search for the goat spirit, only he wasn't in sight. She closed her eyes and let her magic slightly flare around her. His magical aura was gone.

"Damn it," she whispered. Things were looking grim for her.

"What's wrong?" Natsu asked her as he cracked his knuckles again. He was giving her time to call on another one of her spirits.

"Hold on," she said. Her fingers felt the grooves of her keys under her shirt. When she felt Capricorn's key, she muttered a chant to open his gate. Nothing happened. She tried once again to only fail.

 _Damn it! I must have used all my magic when I summoned Crux and Cancer! I'm in deep shit!_

She diverted her attention to scan the area around her. There had to be a way to distract him long enough for her to flee. She escaped from him a couple of times. One more time didn't matter.

"Don't even think about it," he warned with a stern tone. It was as if he sensed her thoughts. If he did, then he knew what was coming next.

There were broken stones at her feet from the headstone Cancer hit earlier. Slowly, she knelt down to the ground. Her hand grabbed at the nearest stone. She felt watchful eyes on her form as she stood up with it. Suddenly, she threw the limestone at him and made to dash away from him. Before she could turn around, the fire user grabbed her arm.

"What the hell are you thinking?" he demanded her. She yanked on her arm, but he held firm.

"Let me go!" she hissed through her teeth.

"I can't do that."

"Yes, you can." In a single, swift movement, she twirled, swinging her other arm at him. With a deft hand, he caught her fist. She swept her foot but he anticipated her move. He entangled her oncoming leg with his own sending them tumbling down. He didn't release her as they rolled along the grassy ground.

Lucy landed on top him but that didn't stop her from lashing out at him. She jabbed him with her elbow, making him grunt before he flipped her. The air whooshed out of her lungs. He aimed to capture her wrists but she brought her knee up and kneed him in the stomach. Using that as distraction, she hit the side of his face with a fist. She felt her knuckles crunched from the hit and she winced. A pained moan left her.

He grabbed at her legs and dragged her until she was fully beneath him. She clawed at the dirt as her last attempt not to be trapped by him but he caught her as hard hands enclosed on her wrists and his knees dug into her thighs to keep her in place.

"Enough!" His fingers curled painfully into her wrists. Yet she couldn't give up without giving him a fight. She refused to go back to Fairy Tail with him. Not when there were other keys to be found or her father could find her and wreck havoc on such a guild. This guy didn't know the trouble he was inviting into his guild. It didn't matter that his guild had powerful wizards. Her father was messing with something sinister and it would be unleashed wherever she went.

She thrashed, her fingers curling, straining to draw blood, but they couldn't reach his hands. The fire wizard was not only experienced in using his magic. He was an experienced fighter, which made him a deadly adversary.

She was left to do one thing as her last desperate attempt for him to leave her alone. "Let me go. Please."

She paused. They were both raggedly breathing. Her face was strained. Her vision was getting blurry. "Please," she repeated hoarsely.

The sorrow -the defeat- in her voice made him still.

"Why are you so desperate not to come with me to Fairy Tail? What has you so afraid?" His face was inches away from hers, and she felt the breath of every one of his words on her mouth.

She took an uneven breath. Then another. How could she explain her situation to him? She was being hunted from different sides. Her father, Sebastian, Lord Geer. And quite recently, demons. Fairy Tail was a false heaven. Anywhere she went, danger was sure to follow. She could only save herself by not staying in one place too long.

"Come with me to Fairy Tail," he whispered. His breath was hot against her cheeks.

"I can't," she mumbled. She tried to hold back a sob.

"Our guild possesses some of the strongest wizards in Fiore. They can protect you."

"I can't." Tears escaped from her eyes.

"Why?"

"Because I will bring death wherever I go."

"Not at Fairy Tail."

He watched her and she waited. She let the a few more tears slipped down her cheeks and then she turned her face away from him. Her legs were getting numb from being under his heavy weight. His nearness was robbing what was left of her sanity.

Then an idea popped into her mind. She was taking a big risk but the sudden distraction might give her enough time to get away.

She allowed herself a few deep breaths before looking at him once again. She closed the distance between them and kissed his lips. She felt his reaction more than saw it. His body stiffened. His eyes widened. The tight grasp on her wrists loosened. Before he could react, she broke his hold and shoved at his chest with all her strength. He fell away from her.

Quickly, she got to her feet and ran like hounds of hell were after her. Not once did she look back to see if he was chasing her.

* * *

How could he let a slip of a girl trick him? It was a question that hit Natsu Dragneel hard against his chest as he watched her slight form disappear into the distance. He only meant to persuade her to join Fairy Tail, after all she was a wizard like him. The only difference was she was inexperienced with using her magic whereas he was quite comfortable with using his. So he used that knowledge to his advantage. He baited her to fight him to assess her magical abilities and to drain whatever was left from her. Only he never thought she would kiss him.

The kiss caught him completely off guard and it was quite an intelligent move on her part, although it was desperate. His muscles bunched underneath his skin as he calculated how many seconds it would take for him to close the distance between them. She wouldn't get far. Without her magic, she was no better than a sitting duck.

A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. He couldn't remember having so much fun since the moment his father, a fire dragon, left him. Ever since then, Natsu had been searching Fiore for signs of dragons all while he took jobs from his guild as excuses for traveling. The last job he took was to find a blond celestial wizard and hand her the contents that would lead her to whatever the old man had. Yet Natsu never expected the blond to be an actual rare celestial wizard or expect her to be unclaimed by any magical guild. Basically, she was an open target for anyone. She wouldn't last long on her own.

But she outsmarted him, which was rare considering that he used his draconic senses to detect deceit from her. It was his senses that gave him the upper hand in battles. He was better at eliminating his foes' abilities since his senses granted him momentum and accuracy. From his quick fight with her, he already spotted many weaknesses. One, she needed keys on her to summon her spirit. Two, her spirits were the only protection she had between herself and her foes. Three, her fighting skills without her spirits was little to none. Only her sheer desperation and the fact that she must have trained in a physical activity such as dancing saved her life. And four, the chant gave him enough time to strike at her before she could summon her spirits. Overall, she was an opponent barely worth his time.

But all that could change if she decided to join Fairy Tail. Master Makarov, the guild's master, would have help to train her until she could hone her skills.

He rolled his shoulders and rotated his arms all while keeping his dark eyes on his prey. He spread out his legs, one in front of the other. He slightly bent them to give himself a better starting angle when he sprinted after the girl. A good sprint relied on heavy muscles rather than long distance running. His muscles bunched up before he took off after the girl. But he ran into a solid body. He jumped back, not expecting a black suited goat man to be staring at him from under dark glasses. The imposing figure blocked him from his true target.

"What are you doing?"

The figure merely formed a small smile. "Cleaning up a mess."

"What kind of mess, I wonder?"

"Your type."

Natsu raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because you'll stop her from doing her duty and because you are threat to her."

He stepped toward the spirit. "I don't want to harm her."

"No," the man agreed with him. "But you will. Your nature opposes her kind."

Natsu frowned. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You wouldn't. Your abilities have been sealed."

"Enough about this shit," he growled. He lunged forward with a fire fist. The spirit danced back, raising his forearm to block the blow. The fire was snuffed out against the black suit. Natsu leaped back.

"What is your name?" he asked, giving himself enough time to formulate a plan.

"Capricorn, and I'm at my lady's service. Only she won't know what happens between us." Natsu's eyebrows rose in question. Was it possible that celestial spirits could do as they please without permission from their master? If so, then Levy was mistaken about her information. Besides, this celestial spirit was different from the other he engaged in battle. This one was more powerful. His magic felt different from Lucy's magic. Which led him to think about another question. Could celestial spirits draw their magic from elsewhere? If so, Levy was also incorrect.

Capricorn accosted him. For every step forward, he moved back. This was one foe he had to be wary of. Any wrong move could severely cost him time. His foe launched at him and he let two strikes land on his chest before he ducked the third blow and slammed into him. He swept his foot and Capricorn staggered back a step. Not missing a beat, he called on his fire and swiped for the spirit's chest. The blow fell short as the flames ripped only the material of the spirit's suit jacket. The rest of his flames were snuffed out.

Capricorn stumbled before catching his footing. Natsu threw a punch in his direction but the spirit dodged it. He swept for his feet, but the spirit evaded his moves.

"Fool!" he spat. "Your magic won't stand a chance against me. You have to awaken your full magic, dragon slayer." This time he feinted and he hit Natsu's jaw hard enough to draw blood. Natsu spit some of the excess blood from his mouth. He cursed, darting a few steps away from the goat man. He made a careless mistake. He underestimated his foe.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Natsu attempted to kick the spirit but the figure stopped it with a kick of his own.

"If you don't know who you truly are, I won't waste time to explain it." Natsu didn't have enough warning time. He was distracted by the spirit's words that he didn't see the spirit throwing himself at him. Capricorn duck, twirling, and Natsu barely turned before the spirit slammed him into the ground. The back of his head hit one of the broken stones hard.

Natsu lay on the grass, fighting to stay conscious. The figure turned his back on him. However, Natsu's sharp sense of hearing heard the next words floating in the wind. "On my honor to your mother, I've done what I can. The rest is up to you my lady." Then with a flash of light, the spirit vanished.

* * *

 **This is the last chapter for Book I of the "The Golden Keys Origin." AmityStarrlight and I hope you enjoy reading it. We had an eventful time writing each chapter. Book II titled "The Golden Keys Dark Awakening" will be updated weekly, depending on how we update it on Wattpad. Read below to find out more about "The Golden Keys Dark Awakening."**

 ** _Two years have passed in Fiore and wizards have finally been accepted among the people. Granted more freedom, wizards can practice their magic freely because their magic is the only hope to defeat the increasing demons lurking in the woods. A mysterious figure dressed in a black cloak enters Hydra Inn, in the outskirts of Magnolia. Only demons follows the figure and attacks the inn, attracting the attention from a Fairy Tail member. Who is the stranger? And why are demons following the stranger?_**


	13. Book II-Chapter 1

**Here's the first chapter for the second book, "The Golden Keys Dark Awakening." We hope you enjoy reading it. Hopefully, next week, there will be another chapter. Let us know what you think. See you next time.**

* * *

 **The Golden Keys Dark Awakening**

 **Book II**

* * *

Hydra Inn was a dark a cool place located on the outskirts of Magnolia. It was established for adventurers who were courageous enough to brave the night in the woods to enter Magnolia. Not all adventurers were fools. Many of them traveled in groups and hired wizards as escorts to brave the wild woods. Only one person remained a question. From the dark clothes to the mysterious way the person moved, Ryeland, the owner of Hydra Inn, accommodated the figure.

He offered the person a table closest to the window so that now rising sun would beam under the large hood that concealed a face. He called a young bar maid to put down a cup and pour some fresh ale. A plate with freshly baked bread and cheese was placed next to it. The figure simply nodded before leather gloved fingers wrapped around the cup of ale. The cup was raised and it disappeared under the darkness of the hood. Disappointment fluttered through most of Ryeland as he only got a glimpse of pale flesh. He was still unable to discern if the person was a male or female. Although he counted on the person being a male because there was no way a female could survive one night in Magnolia forest. It was said the forest harbored monsters or demons that an ordinary person couldn't hope to defeat. Only strong wizards were capable of wandering the woods alone. And each wizard officially belonged to a guild. Any unmarked wizards were immediately sent to the Magic Council and were owned by them.

The mysterious person's hand reached for the sandwich and he watched with fascination as it too disappeared under the darkness of the cloak. Something gleamed on the right side of the person's cloak and his eyes widened. He saw a jewel hilt of a sword. He backed up a bit, not seeing when he bumped into the table behind him.

"Watch where you going man," a voice boomed behind him. Ryeland scratched the back of his head as he turned to the other table. He bowed in apology before averting his attention back to the mysterious figure. His eyes widened more when the gloved finger tossed a couple of gold coins on the table. The action caught the attention from other travelers. It wasn't the good type.

The figure raised a finger and he waved for the bar maid to come back with another cup of ale. He backed away as one of his shaky hands took the coins. He walked back to the counter as he kept his eyes on the stranger. He pocketed the coins, aware that putting it in the draw behind the counter would attract trouble. The tension in the room intensified as the young and unaccompanied stranger sat upright with such a stillness, it was hard to miss.

And he had to wonder who was the stranger. For the past couple of years, Magnolia grew into a popular place. The city became a buzzing spectacle due to the members of Fairy Tail attracting all sorts of wizards. But not any wizard could join the magical guild. There had to be a test of powers and approval from most of the members.

Besides the attraction of more wizards, the forest around the city grew darker and more dangerous. No one dared to enter the woods without a proper magical escort. The time of fearing wizards was over. They were revered and honored; such a stark contrast to burning them at the stake two years earlier.

Magnolia may have become a thriving city, like Crocus or Haysmitch but the villages and towns remained in trouble. Without having proper magical guilds, they were quickly disappearing in the darkness. Many people were dying and there was little hope left to fight the monsters that were dwelling in the woods around them.

The stranger lifted his or her head, signaling with a gloved finger for another cup of ale. For someone who appeared young, the person drank a lot of ale or wine in the early hours of the morning. He hoped the stranger didn't bring trouble at his inn because he rather give back the golden coins he received than to have brawls break out at his place. It was harder to clean up the mess and to purchase new furniture.

The bar maid was busy collecting dishes from the other tables while avoiding roaming hands. He drew his eyebrows together not liking what he saw. He could interfere but the woman was skilled at dodging the lewd hands. A smile tugged on his lips. With a deftness, he poured ale into a mug and set it on a tray. He added some more bread and cheese since the stranger finished his or her food. He trekked his way to the stranger when he noticed there was absolute silence.

He glanced to the door when he noticed another mysterious person dressed in armor clothes. The person, rather female walked to the counter and sat on one of the available stools. She appeared to be waiting for him to return to his station. Quickly, he placed the tray down before the stranger and rushed to greet the woman. She was known as Erza Scarlet, Fairy Tail's Titania. The woman was as scary as hell. The tension in the atmosphere became sullen.

He breathed in a sigh of relief.

"Erza," he greeted with his usual smile.

"Ryeland," she greeted in return.

"Have you come back from another one of your long missions?" he asked while giving her the usual. He prepared a tray with ale, a bowl of beef stew and hot bread.

The woman broke her bread first. "Yes," she answered. "I wish I could have return sooner but this monster was a tough one." She bit into her bread and moaned in delight.

He was one of the few people to see her with her guard down and it was his honor that she trusted him. "Fairy Tail will still be here. It's always here."

The red haired female stopped eating and looked up at him with a serious expression. "You have to be kidding me? One day out of this city and those wizards are wrecking havoc. Sometimes I don't know who is worse, the monsters lurking in the woods or them."

He laughed lightly. "At least Fairy Tail got it's freedom to do whatever they want."

"That's because the citizens have no choice but to trust us." And it was about time for them to realize their horrible mistakes they did to the wizards a long time ago. The number of wizards have declined over the years but the remaining few were all that was left to protect the citizens of Fiore. However, the wizards who received the brunt of torture were the celestial wizards. There were so few of them, no one knew how many of them were left. Only two wizards were known. One was famous and she belonged in a magical guild called Sabertooth and the other was a notorious fugitive. No one knew what happened to her in the past two years. One could only assume that she died in the pitch blackness of one of the forests.

"Yeah but you can't help but wonder where all the monsters came from," he said after some thought.

"It came from the incident two years back at Ismitch Town," Erza replied before taking a sip of her beef stew. Her eyes almost rolled to the back of her head from pleasure.

He laughed louder, drawing some attention from the men around him. Only he was a hundred percent at ease because Erza would break anyone's fist before a brawl broke out. "Are you sure? Fairy Tail was the one responsible for saving the town from that disaster."

"Yes. A couple of friends were there that day when they stopped the monsters from almost swallowing a town."

His eyebrows rose with surprise.

"And," she added as she leaned into him so only he could hear, "that was the awakening of dark magic. Apparently there were some dark members after a celestial wizard."

His eyebrows disappeared under his short bangs as he whistled. He diverted his gaze to the wanted poster stuck on the billboard of the inn. It was a drawn face of a young and beautiful girl. The name on the bottom of the poster was "Lucy." She was considered to be five-four. She had blond hair tied in a braid and soft-doe brown eyes.

"You're not talking about the notorious fugitive?"

"She's not one," Erza demanded. "They were after her because they considered her a threat."

"Then how come your friends were never able to catch her?"

"She got away," the red headed female shrugged her shoulders. "Very little is known about celestial wizards and their power."

"That's only because there is only handful of them left."

"And they are graciously guarded by their magical guilds or the Magic Council."

"If the Magic Council is not holding them prisoners and making us believe they are there for protection."

The woman nodded her head in agreement, then her eyes darted around the room to take in the people crowding the guild in the early hours of dawn. She continued eating her food until her eyes landed on the new stranger.

"Who is the new adventurer?" the woman turned back to look at him.

He simply shrugged his shoulders. "Beats me. He came in early this morning by himself."

This news caused one of Erza's eyebrows to lift. "Did I hear that right?"

"Yep." He nodded his head. He crossed his hands over his chest. "And he's well off. He handed me two golden coins."

Erza blew in a sharp breath before letting it out. "Only S-Class wizards, nobility or the royal family have such coins."

She peered over her shoulder to notice how the stranger sat with an upright stiffness. Long, gloved fingers curled around a cup and raised it under a large hood. She turned back to look at Ryeland. "You're wrong. The stranger is not a man but a young girl."

"How do you know?" he asked in astonishment. His eyes flickered to the young figure.

"She moves with a certain grace that's hard to miss. And because I'm a female. I will know other females like myself."

"You mean..."

"She can handle a sword."

He lightly thumped his fist on the counter. "That explains how she survived her trek in the forest."

"No."

"Huh?" He gave her a baffled look and she in turn laughed lightly at him.

"She recently used magic." Then she frowned. "Although I don't know what kind because I never felt her type before."

"Do you think she's unclaimed by any magical guild?"

"Maybe," the red hair woman assumed. "If she's here in Magnolia, she's probably looking to join Fairy Tail."

He smiled. "Well, that's not going to be easy with the fire brat around."

Erza's laughter twinkled causing many blatant stares to turn to her. She didn't care to return their gazes. Erza was a strikingly attractive woman. Any man would literally fall at her feet, only they were frightened of her temper. He was fortunate he knew the woman for many years, being a wizard like her. Although he didn't carry a guild's emblem like Fairy Tail, he was acknowledged by the Magic Council to open his tavern outside the city limits to welcome travelers from different places.

And he was quite strong to handle monsters who dared to attack his place.

"If she's a pretty face and quite intelligent to put him on his rear, she will have no time to be accepted by the others."

"That's asking for a lot."

"No, that sounds like asking for a miracle." The woman smiled as she enjoyed the rest of her meal. Ryeland continued to watch the mysterious girl from the distance.

* * *

It had been two years since that faithful day she escaped from the fire wizard. Within those couple of years she kept a low profile. She kept into the woods, traveled during daylight hours and sought rest in remote areas at night. She learned to hunt for her own food, mostly eating fish since she followed the river and she picked her fruits from the nearby plants or trees. She rarely stopped off at towns or villages unless she needed to stock up on supplies or Crux sensed a golden key.

And most importantly, she kept on moving. She never allowed herself to stay in one area too long. Lord Geer's underlings were still hunting her down. There were travelers who saw her and word tended to spread around about anyone looking like her. Somehow she knew that Lord Geer's underlings weren't far from her. She hurried her pace until she found this inn near a bustling city.

She felt lucky.

Sometimes if she were fortunate she could stop and train a bit with her most reliable spirit, Capricorn. He taught her to meditate. to expand her magical aura so that she could summon one spirit and keep the spirit in the earth world for a long period of time. With each passing day she was getting stronger. Her goal, however, was to be able to summon two celestial spirits using her own magic. She didn't want Capricorn to use up his magic from the other source.

Other times, he would teach her how to fight hand to hand combat since she lost against the fire user. From her fight with him, she learned that she couldn't only rely on her spirits to get her out of trouble. If she wasn't physically strong as well as mentally, as a wizard, then how could she sustain her spirits' magic? They heavily relied on her as she relied on them. Besides the only way she could handle being the master of all twelve spirits was she had to train to summon all of them. Crux had warned her that at some point she was going to have to do a ritual which involve summoning all of her spirits to fight against the demons that were after her.

The air was humid. Sweat trickled down her face and back as she had to force herself to walk the long distance into the tavern. Her body was covered up by a long black cloak. Her face was hidden under a large hood. Her blond hair grew longer and she opted to braid and keep it under her cloak. Her hair color was the first dead give away to who she was. Next came her eye color, which at some point turned from a soft brown to a muddy steel. Throughout her travels in the forest, she endured endless hardships that took away her naivety. She was no longer the same fifteen year old rich girl who was struggling to survive. She knew what she had to do keep herself alive.

One, keep all stash and belongings away from others. Limit to what can be carried.

Two, dress like a poor and weary traveler. No one messes with someone who appears to be a vagrant.

Three, always keep a low profile. No matter if someone was calling for help or there was a town nearby, stay away.

Four, don't talk to anyone.

Five, never light a fire in the dark.

Six, travel during daylight hours and stay off the main roads at night.

And seven, get enough sleep.

This was her list of rules she lived and followed. These rules constantly saved her life during the time she traveled on her own. She only broke these rules when something called for it. And something did call for her to break the rules as she drank the rich ale and ate the delicious bread and cheese. She had thrown two golden coins at the owner of the tavern. They were the same pouch of coins she found on a dead man's body three miles away from the city. He had been close to making it on his own until a lower class demon struck him from behind.

She shook her head at the vanity of it all. Magnolia may be a rich city due to the powerful wizards that protected it but that couldn't stop the full blooded demons that were going to take the city. And they were coming with time. Her time was slowly coming to a close. Since finding Sagittarius' key two years back, she wasn't lucky to find any others. The roaming monsters and wanted fugitive signs made searching for the golden keys physically impossible.

Maybe it was time she gave the fire wizard a visit and see if his offer was still open.

She glanced at the powerful wizards hovering at the entrance of Hydra Inn. Gracefully, she stood, drawing the dark stares of men around her. They certainly gave the air of unhappiness. She made her way to the red headed female to only change her course last minute. She could now feel the wizards' eyes on her. She smiled as they let her pass. Little did they know about the demon lurking outside the inn. He had been circling the joint, waiting for the right time to attack.

She clutched at her sword, feeling the red headed female tensed behind her. The bloody attack was about to begin as a roar bellowed from outside.

 _This is going to be fun, don't you think Capricorn?_ she mentally asked her loyal spirit.

She felt his magic more than saw him popped outside. He cracked his knuckles and then he removed his shades.

By the time the people gathered around the door of the inn, Lucy had already drawn her sword and prepared for the demon to attack her.


	14. Book II-Chapter 2

**Sorry for the delay. This month and next month are two critical months for AmittyStarrlight and me. We don't have much time to update. Summer time is when we'll finally be free from the chaos of life. Let us know what you think of this chapter. Thanks.**

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The atmosphere at Hydra Inn changed instantly. Ryeland didn't know how he couldn't sense the enemy outside. Groups of men gathered by the door. He and Erza waited beyond the doors. They were outside the second the stranger disappeared through the Inn's door. The sun rays were beginning to appear in the horizon. The darkness in the forest retreated only to leave the shadows from the trees.

The figure's gloved hand reached for the jewel weapon at her side. Fingers curled tightly around the hilt.

It was astonishing that she had a companion with her when a moment ago she sat alone in the tavern. The person next to her also wore a dark long cloak. Oddly, there was a pair of sunglasses in his hand.

"Be careful," a masculine voice replied. "This is no monster."

Her lithe and cultured voice shocked him. "Maybe not, but it's a lower class demon."

How could someone be calm about fighting a lower class demon? Demons hardly attacked the city boundaries unless it was night since they were more powerful. They harnessed their powers from darkness. Also, the darkness concealed their presence, giving them the advantage to sneak into villages or towns. For demons of any kind to be attacking Magnolia, especially since there were strong wizards present was baffling.

"A lower class demon is still as powerful as one of the strongest monsters."

"But the sun is rising, which means it's power is waning."

"Still, don't underestimate your enemy."

"I know."

He rubbed his eyes as he examined the cloaked figures. The female was small, quite smaller than him. Her head barely touched his chest. She was a few inches shorter than Erza. The male next to her was quite tall and intimidating. He was astonished that her companion was going to stand back and let her battle the demon despite his warning.

Ryeland eyebrows creased. He clenched his hands into fists. He had the urge to gather his magic and help the girl fight the lower class demon. After all, Hydra Inn was his territory and he was in charge of protecting it.

He stepped forward when a hand restrained him. He glanced over his shoulder at the red headed female. She shook her head as her dark eyes never wavered from the battle scene before them. "Don't," she said with a grim expression.

"Why?" he asked, scrunching his eyebrows together.

"It's a test to see if she's worthy enough to join Fairy Tail."

"You got to be joking?"

"No," she responded. The grip on his wrist tightened. "Fairy Tail isn't number one for just any reason. We don't just accept anyone."

"Two years ago that wasn't the case."

"Things have drastically changed the past two years."

He didn't know how to reply so he stayed quiet. Her hold on his wrist was like a shackle. Although he was powerful enough to put up a good fight against her, he didn't want to risk dealing with her wrath. Her wrath knew no boundaries. People didn't call her Titania for nothing.

Instead, he forced his magic to remain in his body, underneath the shell that regular class wizards couldn't detect. This was one of the battles he had to witness. Someone else was going to fight in his stead. But if push comes to shove and the girl was in trouble, he was going to break Erza's hold and take on the demon himself.

For now, he would watch and wait for the right moment to step in.

* * *

Who would have thought the moment Lucy stepped into Hydra Inn she would attract trouble? Only this wasn't the type she was expecting; bandits, mercenaries or drunk men. No, the demons have tracked her and they were getting desperate if they were willing to attack Magnolia, a city full of tough wizards.

"You don't sense it?" she asked as she walked forward. She could feel the eyes from the spectators behind her.

"Sense what?" her loyal spirit asked her as he strolled beside her with ease and confidence.

She would have looked at her spirit and laugh. Instead, she kept her focus on the enemy. One second of distraction could cost her everything. "There's more of them."

A lumpy form drifted toward her. Black hollow eyes drank in the sight of her. She shivered from the coldness and emptiness in those eyes. Sometimes she regretted learning more about celestial magic. The magic was considered light magic and it's truest form could oppose dark magic. However, light magic attracted dark magic and vice versa. And being in her shoes, that wasn't a good thing.

"Are you sure?"

She would have smirked but she opted to pull her weapon from her side. She never unsheathed her sword. She outstretched her arm, keeping the weapon at a distance. She appeared relaxed, almost lazy like. The calm before the storm. "There's one on my right and two on your left."

There was a moment of silence before she heard a humph.

She couldn't help herself. She had to tease her stoic spirit. "Maybe you're hanging out too much with Aquarius."

"Heck no," Capricorn retorted. "Hell can freeze over and we still won't talk to each other."

"Sooner or later you're going to have give in. You both fight together."

"Correction. You fight with her and I watch."

It was her turn to humph. She could feel his grin.

"Enough of this silly talk. I'll take them all out."

"You sure you can handle four of them? They look tough."

"Now whose underestimating my abilities?"

He lifted his hands. "I'm not saying you can't take them out on your own. We just have an audience."

He didn't have to explain further. Lucy understood what he meant. She wanted to keep her identity a secret as long as possible. If anyone knew she was the fugitive everyone was looking for, then she wouldn't be able to sleep for days.

"Then, I don't have time to play around."

"Yes," he agreed.

"I'll make it quick and painless." He stopped walking and let her continue. Three demons appeared from both directions. The sunlight grew brighter, casting rays through their body and she suppressed a shiver as she noticed their appearance; gel like, see through, gooey and wiggly. They weren't going to be easy to defeat without magic. However, she couldn't afford to show the spectators her type of magic.

The gooey figure in front of her paused as the other three demons closed in on her from the sides. She kept her sword sheathed and limp at her side. Her attack was going to be about evasion, accuracy and power. She only had one shot to hit them at the right angle.

And then it happened quickly. To the untrained eyes, Lucy's moves were a blur. They could only see flashes of darkness. To the two wizards who were watching everything carefully, they saw the demons' snail like movements turn into speed. They were upon Lucy in an instant, lunging at her from both sides. That was their flaw. Lucy dodged their attacks and brought down her sheathed sword on top their heads. The demons slammed into the ground. Their bodies became black goo.

The one in front of her suddenly lunged for her. She flicked her sheathed sword to the side and swiped at the lower class demon. The demon was hurled into a tree trunk. Fallen leaves scattered on the ground.

Capricorn was about to make a finishing move when she raised her hand in a gesture to stop him. "Enough. Let the demon send word to his master."

Lucy was tired of running. Two years was a long time to stay off the radar. Maybe it was time to end it.

Capricorn nodded his head. As if understanding her motive, he moved back to her side. "As you wish my lady."

She smiled at him and then she took a deep breath. "It's time to face the music."

"Indeed it is."

She turned around to see the group of people blocking the entrance of the tavern. In front of the group were two unhappy wizards.


	15. Book II-Chapter 3

**This month is the last busy month for my sister and me. She is focusing on school with regents and I am busy with work. Unfortunately, the only time we can update is when we meet together to plan out what will happen next in our story events and that is rare. Thank you for reading. Additionally thank you to those who added us to your follow and favorite list. And a special thank you to Rose Tiger, taboadayvonne, LAFIN124, Compulces, TigerArrowgirl, The Black Fairy, seaofhope, Skullnar, and 909kk for reviewing. We really appreciate your reviews for the first book. We hope you like the second book so far. :)**

* * *

The figures that Lucy had seen began walking towards her as the crowd burst into a round of applause. But when the red haired girl saw all the applause, it came to a cease. The attention that was put on Lucy made her feel the slightest bit uncomfortable. She hadn't received much attention since she was the Lady of the Heartfilia Mansion.

The demons had been a norm for Lucy. Everywhere she went they followed and attacked her. And each time she'd brought them down, she did so with the intense training Capricorn had taught her. Lucy had seen death in the eye multiple times that by now she was desensitized by it.

Capricorn stood behind her and she could feel him intently watching the two wizards. The red headed girl seemed irritated at her and Capricorn for their actions. She was beautiful with long scarlet hair and dark brown eyes that complimented her complexion. She wore odd knight clothing, although she was far from the castle for the royal family.

"Tell me, where do you come from?" the knight asked.

"My home is everywhere," Lucy told her defiantly. It was partly true. Since she'd been on the run from her father she was living everywhere. She was homeless but it was the best freedom she'd ever experienced in her life.

The knight crossed her arms, and that's when she saw it. The Fairy Tail mark.

Memories rushed at Lucy and she remembered the salmon-haired fire user who'd shown her all the things she wasn't. Although she would never admit it, it was because of him she was stronger. His words of wisdom had given her the hope she needed to gain more power to defend herself and find the keys.

"Does that go for both of you?" the red haired wizard asked, eyeballing Capricorn.

"Yes." Capricorn answered coolly.

She made eye contact with Capricorn. Perhaps she wouldn't need the fire wizard to gain access to Fairy Tail. If the right words were said than she would be able to have the red haired wizard recommend her to Fairy Tail. Lucy smiled internally, everything was working in her favor after all.

Sometimes it was okay to break the rules. The results led her closer to her true objective.

Just a few days ago on her travel from another village to Magnolia, she'd stopped at a tavern that was similar to the one she was in and she received news of an exclusive job featuring a golden key that went by the name of Virgo. Only, the job was rare since there were very few Celestial Wizards and not just anyone could do it. Since Fairy Tail was the number one guild in Fiore, it only made sense that a compensation was offered for the job at the best guild.

"You're quite skilled," Ryeland noted, "I would like to thank you for doing what you guys did back there. Please come in for a toast."

"Should we go in and drink some ale in celebration of this heroine?" the knight suggested to Capricorn. Lucy glanced at Capricorn for approval. If they stayed too long it would deviate their plans and if they stayed too short it would be too rude.

In a way Capricorn and her were being rude because they didn't take off their hoods that concealed their faces. And Lucy refused to show her face for the fear that people remembered the fugitive from two years ago. Her wanted poster flashed within the vicinity of Hydra Inn.

The rest of the adventurers went inside the tavern and Lucy trailed behind with red headed girl and Capricorn. She wanted the best out of the situation. Capricorn and Lucy sat next to the knight at the bar as the drinks were being made.

"Your companion seems very isolated," Erza observed. She and Lucy watched as Capricorn made his way out of the tavern.

"He has always been like that."

"I take it you and him are very good friends?"

"Yes," Lucy replied with a brief answer. And before the girl could ask another question, Ryeland grasped everyone's attention by tapping a spoon to his cup. The whole tavern became quiet and faced him. He looked at Lucy and searched around for Capricorn, only the spirit was nowhere to be found.

"Before our adventurers leave or I should say adventurer, I would like to extend my gratitude for what she has done as a toast," Ryeland said. Holding his drink up, the adventurers did the same and Lucy accepted his toast by holding up hers and her companion's ale

Everybody clinked their mugs. She put both of their mugs down and twirled the liquid in her hands. "Not much of a drinker?"

"Thank you for everything but I must get going now," she said quickly getting up from the table.

She was wasting her time sitting and drinking with a bunch of strangers. She would have to rely on the forest to find sleep tonight. It was a mess that they had seen her swordsmanship but it would be worse if she unveiled her face. She made a beeline for the door and felt Capricorn waiting outside for her.

She felt safe when she ventured out into the night. The demon was long gone in search for his master. She didn't need to sense the magic of the red headed girl running after her.

"Before you go I'd like to ask you one thing. If I propose to you to join my guild, Fairy Tail, what will you say?"

"Thank you for your offer but my friend and I are not into that."

"I figured. If you ever change your mind my name is Erza Scarlet."

Lucy dismissed Erza with a wave of her hand. It was ironic to run into a Fairy Tail member but she realized that it was one of the most popular guilds in Fiore. This girl just happened to be where she was passing by and witnessed her fight.

Lucy met up with Capricorn and they began to walk away. She couldn't help but mutter, "Ironic, isn't it?"

"Very." They both chuckled.

Lucy realized her true intent. She was going to join Fairy Tail but on her own terms. She didn't want it to be through recommendation or connections. She wanted to prove her worth and earn the respect she deserved. After all she went through, what was a major point in her getting into Fairy Tail? Her term at the magical guild was going to be short and she was going to return in the shadows. Joining Fairy Tail was going to be the easy part. But to prove her worth and staying at vicinity without being detected as a Celestial Wizard was another matter. The fire wizard might complicate things with his keen senses. But once she obtained the new golden key, she would disappear with it in her clutches and not one person would think twice about her.

At least that was what Lucy thought.


	16. Book II-Chapter 4

**Another chapter for the calling. There are more to come since we have ten chapters for the second book already written. The eleventh chapter is still in the writing process but we won't be posting it until the end of June or the beginning of July. We're waiting for summer vacation.**

 **Also, we are re-editing all the chapters. We won't be able to catch every single mistake but we're trying our best to make the content pleasing to the eye. Thank you those of you who added this story to your follow or favorite list. And a special thanks to LAFIN124, Guest, 909kk, and Footster26 for reviewing. You are all awesome! :D**

* * *

Though they hadn't gone deep in the forest, Lucy was starting to regret venturing further and further into it. Even if she'd spent the last two years roaming and living the forest, it irritated her to be there. Capricorn had told her they needed to stay in secluded areas when she made summonings from the Celestial World.

However, it had been Lucy's fault for not informing Cancer about the battle plans earlier. Despite the many warnings she'd gotten from Capricorn, if they wanted to make it to Fairy Tail soon, distractions like Hydra Inn couldn't occur. It was Lucy's paranoia that drove her to thinking that the job would reach there before she did.

"Are you ready?" Capricorn asked her, breaking her from her thoughts.

"Yes," she responded holding up the golden key towards the sun. "Open, gate of the crab, Cancer!"

"Lucy-Ebbi," Cancer said snapping his scissors, "What can I do for you today?"

"We need to clarify some things with you," Capricorn said.

Although she rarely used Cancer except for training, he was an essential part to her fighting style. When she no longer had need for Capricorn she would call on him. Crux and Aquarius were out of the equation since Crux specialized in the history of celestial spirits and Aquarius could only be used when there was water nearby.

"It's about the job for Fairy Tail."

"There were rumors going around that there's a Golden Key at a villa in the woods," Lucy explained, "Except the job request is one that's exclusively for Fairy Tail."

Cancer's eyes lit up when he heard a Golden Key. Lucy didn't blame him. For the past two years of failure, she'd finally found it. She was a step closer in the right direction. This news was a beacon of hope to reunite the twelve golden keys.

"How will Lucy-Ebbi get in?" Cancer asked.

"She will be going as a script mage. Since the job entitles her to decipher an unknown text, she will be needing all the support she can get," Capricorn explained.

Cancer smiled in understanding. Lucy could tell he was trying very hard to conceal his excitement and the feeling made her warm inside. To think that this chance could lead her to the other golden keys filled her with hope. It was about time for something like this to happen.

When Capricorn and Lucy finished explaining their plan to Cancer, he said his farewell and went back to the Celestial world. Cancer would be her key to call on if something went wrong in battle but that was something she hoped would never happen. Sighing, Lucy made her way back to the road.

She was starting to get hungry. The road led to harbor town, where she was going to stock up on medicinal supplies and to update her knowledge on the rumors that circulated. Then an unfamiliar wave of magic hit her.

It was unlike the magic she'd felt before. This magic made her feel the slightest wave of nausea. She heard a wagon riding down the path and she made out a girl sitting on the back of it with a cat similar to the a blue one she'd seen somewhere else.

Her eyes widened when she realized where she'd seen the cat before but she pushed away the excuse that she and Natsu were related in some way. The girl was looking around and Lucy dove for the bushes to cover herself. She was being silly, there was no way Natsu and the blue haired girl were related.

It unnerved Lucy to think about it so once the wagon was a good distance away from her, she distracted herself. Maybe it was a pure coincidence but it didn't matter. The meeting with Cancer had cost her a couple of hours.

* * *

When she entered Harbor town, the encounter with Erza had still been fresh in her mind even if it had been more than three days ago. Fairy Tail refusal had stemmed from her true goal. With taking the deal to get into Fairy Tail through Erza, she would've skipped some necessary steps that other aspiring mages took to get into Fairy Tail. But she wanted to do it right and stay behind the scenes so her plan would be immaculate.

On Lucy's beckon, Capricorn had retired to the Celestial World to rest. Lucy hadn't liked the idea of his conspicuous hooded figure walking around in a crowded place. Her hooded figure caused enough suspicious eyes to stare after her.

She was in Montrent, a part of Harbor Town, most notoriously known in Fiore for it's fish. It explained the smell of fish that pervaded the air as she mushed into the crowd of the marketplace. She reminded herself that she was only here to pick up the supplies she had run out of and maybe find a cheap place to crash. She wasn't going to reach Magnolia for another two days but she would need the energy to get there on time. And it was time to see if she could pick up on some other rumors that would benefit her.

"Come buy our fish! Special deal five for 1,200 Jewels!" A fish vendor called.

 _Those are rather common_ , Lucy noticed as she peered at the different stalls that were displayed. There were jewelry, herbs, fresh vegetables, fruits and mainly fish stalls that lined the marketplace. She wasn't going to lie, there were some pretty cool things to get at marketplaces, except she couldn't carry them since she lived like a nomad.

She was about halfway through the marketplace when she spotted the stall she'd been looking for. It was a small herb stall that specialized in salves. She'd been running low on medicinal treatments for when Capricorn had nicked her during training sessions or a bug bit her in the woods. In a matter of minutes of being applied her once-scarred skin would go back to normal.

"What would you like, dear?" an old woman asked her.

Lucy smiled at the old woman and pointed the ones she wanted. She sifted through the pocket of her satchel to find the jewel pieces and gave it to the women's outstretched hand. She was about to turn in the opposite direction when she noticed a familiar piece of blue hair sticking out.

She turned around and observed the girl she'd seen earlier when she'd hidden in the bushes. Her magical aura had been prominent. Lucy had wondered how a girl of ten or so years could hold so much magical power. When she asked Capricorn about it, he had muttered something about a dragon and then dismissed it.

The thing that really set Lucy off guard was the flying cat that accompanied her. She hadn't seen it earlier but it'd looked a lot like the blue one she'd seen with Natsu two years ago. As far as Lucy knew, talking cats were exceedingly rare and poachers would spend the equivalent of the Heartfelia estate for it-even more.

The blunette and her flying cat were standing next to a clothing stall. But by her body language and the way the girl peered to the side of her, there was a lot more to the picture. Lucy caught onto it when she saw where the girl's eyes averted to.

About a hundred meters away from her or so, there were two bulky guys. Lucy could sense they were what she had coincidentally been thinking of earlier. Poachers. From the way the blunette and her cat were acting, the men had were on their trail for a while.

Lucy got the feeling that the little girl and the exceed had seen the men before. She suddenly empathized with her. It was similar to how she ran from the lower class demons Lord Geer sent after her. If the men attacked the blunette and the exceed, Lucy knew she was going to interfere.

Something else told her that the men weren't after the girl's flying cat.

Lucy's hand curled into a fist when she saw the Poachers make a move. Their steps were haggard and casual as they went up to the clothing stall where the blunette went rigid. Trepidation was evident on her face. Lucy was almost so focused on her reaction that she almost missed when the Poacher slipped an earring into her pocket.

"Thief! Thief! There's been a theft," the Poacher said almost too loudly.

The owner of the jewelry shop glanced in horror at the girl as the man reached into her pocket and exposed the earring.

"How dare you!" the owner cried, "You insolent brat!"

The owner stalked up to the girl and gave her a sharp slap across the face. The scene was enough to make the boisterous market go silent. People watched with fear and interest all mixed together. It sickened Lucy to watch something like that. She felt her hand slide to her sheathed sword.

The immense magic the girl had was something she wasn't going to use in an open area like the marketplace. Once again the feeling of nostalgia overtook Lucy, as she was in the same predicament like two years ago in the woods. If she didn't intervene soon something bad was going to happen.

Her patience ran out when the Poachers took the girl's hand and began hauling her through the crowd. The girl's flying cat had disappeared underneath a net. The people that were watching were well aware of what was happening and they weren't doing anything. And then she realized not every town supported the new vision of wizards.

Many towns had gradually begun accepting the guilds because of the increased number in monsters but others still feared and hated wizards. Their hatred intensified and their prejudice showed. The girl's magic hadn't been masked like Lucy's. She didn't use magic but it was easy to sense she was a wizard.

As Lucy was about to run into the center of the circle to make an attack, a flame intervened. The sudden fire sent Lucy's head spinning and her heart rate accelerated. Her stomach twisted in knots and she couldn't register the screams of people.

A pink-haired male appeared with a flying cat much like the girl's white one and punched the other Poacher who was about to attack. But before he did, his eyes ventured off towards Lucy's direction and she knew that he'd sensed her before she could've prevented him.

"Do you know the price of messing with a Fairy Tail wizard?"

The fire wizard punched the man square in the gut. "You mess with all of them."


	17. Book II-Chapter 5

**So umm, there are more chapters to go before we can post the latest chapter on this site. We want both sites to have the same content, since we think it's fair for you readers to have the same update here. Thank you for reading so far. A special thank you goes out to seaofhope, Footster26, and Guest 4 for leaving reviews. We appreciate you reading and leaving encouraging feedback.**

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Lucy stared at Natsu for the slightest second before registering that she needed to run. It was her fault for not taking a spell to turn her magical ability off. Once again, she underestimated her surroundings and not taken all the precautions to make sure nothing went wrong.

As the horde of people began to move forward to see the fight, Lucy turned her back and went against the crowd. She hoped that her scent would wear off with all the other ones Natsu would smell.

 _Farewell_ , she thought more to Natsu than the little girl.

Lucy decided that she would have to take the streets to get out of the town. More than anything she wanted to go into an Inn and buy a room to spend the night. But with Natsu in town and the animosity in the townsfolk, she was motivated to exit the town.

It was nightfall when she found herself walking down the dirt road that lead out of the town. She exited into the woods again, venturing farther where she could lay down and sleep. Her thoughts however kept her up. She kept on wondering about the girl who had been part of Fairy Tail. Last time she'd checked, a person had to be over fifteen years old to gain entry in a guild. The girl nearly looked like she was twelve. But then she realized the amount of power the blunette held inside of her. Her power attracted trouble.

Lucy's sleep was almost pleasant in light of the ordeals she had endured the past few days. However, it was around early morning when she heard the snap of twigs. They were nearing her direction and though Lucy could tell they were regular hunters, she didn't need more drama going around about a cloaked traveler.

She picked up her belongings and made her way back to the dirt road. She could make it to the next town in a half of day walk. In the other town, if she paced herself correctly and followed schedule she would be able to make it to Magnolia by nightfall.

Lucy rested no more than ten minutes at a time. She'd scarfed down her breakfast and practically dodged any moving wagons or carriages that happened to be coming down the path. She was thankful that there wasn't a lot.

On the way Lucy vaguely brainstormed her character for her encounter at Fairy Tail. She was Celestia Moonright. She could briefly imagine the look on Natsu's face if they were introduced again. Celestia Moornight was to be a script mage who yearned to decipher scrolls written in different languages. Part of it was true: different languages did intrigue her. Her training as a lady made her well-rounded in learning different tongues, just not the ones she earnestly wanted to learn.

Her calculations did not fail her and Lucy walked fifty miles in one day. The town of Crest was not like the other one. It was, in fact quiet, which both unnerved and pleased Lucy. She wandered into a pub called Sharkfall and took a seat at the bar. The people there were quiet and spoke casually. This pub was different than what she had imagined. And Lucy found the reason as to why there were barely any people.

"Here's your drink," the bartender served her a shot of liquor and she took it despite being underage still. The bitter taste calmed her the slightest bit. She finished it and called for another one. Coming to town was a bummer but at least she would have a warm bed to sleep in and a decent meal to eat.

Capricorn hadn't contacted her in a day. Lucy would think he would try to after the encounter yesterday at the market but she comprehended that he didn't want to deviate her plans.

"So where's the nearest Inn?" Lucy questioned the bartender.

"Walk down a couple more streets and you'll find one called "Crest Inn" you shouldn't miss it," he said. Though there were hardly any people in the bar, he looked weary and tired. She could imagine him having to work more than one job to be that tired. She slipped a golden coin out of her satchel and handed it to the bartender who perked up at the sudden gift.

"A token of my appreciation." Before he could thank her, Lucy was already out of the door.

The Crest Inn was small, but not the type of small that made Lucy feel smothered. It was cozy and neat. Lucy hit the bell on the front desk and a pudgy man with a book and thin rimmed spectacles appeared. He smiled to see her despite her mysterious get up.

"How can I help you this fine night?" he asked.

"A room for one would do."

"How many nights may I ask are you staying?"

"Just one," Lucy responded. He nodded as Lucy told him a fake name and gave him exactly 10,000 jewels. The price was what she had anticipated and he came around from the front desk and lead her up the narrow stairs. The room he guided her to was at the end of the hall. She counted a total of six rooms. She assumed that a lot of people might not have stayed the night there.

"Goodnight," he said.

Lucy opened the room and examined it carefully. There was a small twin bed, desk, dresser and bathroom next to it. There was no closet and the walls were bare white. It wasn't the best but it was certainly better than sleeping with critters. She uncloaked herself and lined her boots against the bed and hung her cloak against the wall.

When she curled up into the bed, she realized how truly tired she was and fell right asleep. She rose late that morning. It was around nine when she looked at the clock hanging on the wall. She stretched and made a beeline for the shower. Her breakfast was at a diner that was across from the inn. Everything almost felt normal until she realized that she was behind schedule.

Sighing, Lucy got up began walking through the town. There were definitely more townsfolk out and about but not more than what Lucy usually saw. Admittedly if she ever found the Gold Keys she would settle down in a town like this one. The type where everyone knew each other and everything was small but comfortable.

But it wasn't time to be fantasizing about that. Lucy reminded herself of her priorities. The keys. Her father. Yesterday, she'd indulged but it was something that was meant to be short-lived. After two years of living in the forest, Lucy practically forgot the comforts of a bed. And even when she did remember, she was too caught up in the rumors and trying to get a lead on the keys that she hadn't noticed what she was lacking.

By noon Lucy had gotten out of the town. She'd stopped and stalked up on any necessities she would need for the long day trip. She followed the roads and switched paths with the map she'd gotten to navigate. Without Capricorn she'd begun feeling the slightest bit of nervousness. Sure she'd put on an act to other villagers but they were people who couldn't detect her magical abilities. They barely seen her sword far less for her face.

Night fell faster than she'd predicted and she was two miles away from Magnolia. Her feet were blistered and Lucy felt exhausted. She'd been pushing her stamina and her luck. That day she hardly had rested the results were catching up with her. But she kept on walking.

It was around eleven when Lucy entered the city of Magnolia. She was awed by the running canal and the boats that rode through it. Magnolia in the nighttime was quite eventful. Lucy could hear the clinks of glasses and the laughter of people playing games. On the streets people were still up, moving from one place to another. She could see the lights go off in various apartments.

The first inn she spotted was the first one she walked into. The owner was an old lady that Lucy guessed she'd roused from her sleep. But she didn't feel the slightest remorse for it when the lady began to bombard her with questions. In an attempt to get away from her, Lucy took the key and said she would find the room on her own. The lady's face looked relieved.

The room was bigger than the last one she'd been in. There was a desk, full-sized bed and closet. However, everything was too pink for Lucy's taste. She'd once been a lover of the color but now it seemed too suffocating for her. It reminded her of her old room at the mansion which had been double the size of this room.

Lucy pulled off her shoes and examined her feet. They were covered with blisters. She opened her satchel and rubbed the ointment on them. In the morning they'd be gone and it would also be the time when she searched for Fairy Tail.

She took a deep breath and shed her clothing. She left nothing on but a thin shirt and her undergarments. She took off the light and for the third time in a row she slept through the night. She rose early that morning and took out the things she'd bought in Crest, which consisted of lavender hair dye, and a simple outfit.

In the bathroom Lucy flicked on the light and ignored the gnaw in her stomach. In the past, when she was training with Capricorn she'd gone hours and sometimes days without eating. Again, she reminded herself of her mission. Her hair was shoulder length and she'd had Cancer reluctantly cut it as a request from Capricorn.

Though she knew it was inevitable that Natsu would recognize her, she needed to alter her disguise. She opened up the package and mixed the dye together. About fifteen minutes later she had gotten it into her hair. And she waited another thirty minutes until it'd marinated before she went to take a shower.

Lucy didn't recognize herself when she'd put on her whole outfit. The pants were loose and breathable and the top was a white buttoned up shirt. She also put on fake spectacles she'd gotten to look the part of a reader and went out the door. The old lady she greeted the last time was not there. Instead a boy who looked no older than nineteen sat at the desk. He was flipping through a book before he saw Lucy.

"Hi, there are you the customer from last night?" he asked her.

"Yes. The room is lovely thank you very much."

He stared at her for a second longer, the confusion was evident on his face.

 _The old lady must've told him I looked like a brooding traveler,_ she thought. To prevent any more questions she kindly asked for directions to Fairy Tail which astonished him more.

"You're a mage?" he inquired.

"A script mage."

"So you read books and decipher them?"

"Yeah."

"Cool! Well good luck, Ms. Moonright," he said quickly scanning the register for her name. Lucy plastered another fake smile and exited the inn. She followed the directions he'd given her. She'd given up on the map since it was too confusing to decipher. In Magnolia everything was crowded together, while it had it's perks Lucy found herself getting annoyed by the crowds.

Almost half an hour later Lucy had found Fairy Tail. She examined it. The building looked like flats stacked on top of each other. At the very top of the building was a big brass bell that reminded her of the town that was in Ismitch town. She gulped down the memories and touched the four golden keys that were nestled against her chest. This was it. She was finally at Fairy Tail. She could only hope that her alias allowed her to exit as quickly she entered.


	18. Book II-Chapter 6

Lucy's presence was immediately noticed when she opened the doors of the Fairy Tail guild. Dozens of eyes stared at her and for a quick second no one said anything. She took a deep breath and meekly introduced herself, "Hello, my name is Celestia Moonwright and I'm a Script Wizard. I'd like to apply to join Fairy Tail."

She stood there for a second before the guild burst into an applause. Their jolliness caught her off guard. _Are they always so carefree?_ She wondered. But Lucy regained her composure when a familiar blue haired person walked up to her. However, it wasn't the blue haired girl she'd seen in the market a few days ago. It was Levy.

The blood drained from her cheeks. The memories of the last time Lucy saw her rushed back at her but she pushed them away when Levy extended her hand. "Hello," she said cheerfully, "My name is Levy and I'm also a Script Wizard. A Solid Script Wizard to be exact."

"Hello, I'm Celestia, it's nice to meet you," Lucy responded softly.

The personality she decided on was one that was favorable among both genders. Soft-spoken, humble and level-headed. Those were the traits she'd be sticking to for the rest of her mission. If she was quiet enough to stay in the shadows than it would be easier to get out. She still hadn't decided what she was going to do about friends. And she doubted that there was even a loner in Fairy Tail. From the areas she scanned, there were people mingling at the bar or tables and they were scattered around the lounge.

She didn't see the one person who would put her objective in peril. _Natsu_. Perhaps it was a good thing if he wasn't here. She doubted that she would be detectable through the amount of precautions she'd taken back at the Inn. Her disguise was virtually unrecognizable and her magical ability was reduced down to a pin drop.

People could tell that she was a wizard when she was around them but they'd assume her magical abilities were meager and equivalent of a script user. Maybe that was why after the applause and Levy's introduction everyone went back to what they were doing.

 _Perfect._

Levy guided her to the bar and took a seat next to her. She ordered a cream soda and she ordered the same thing for Levy, earning a smile from the script wizard. The barmaid looked at her and flashed a brilliantly beautiful smile.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail, Celestia. My name is Mirajane and that's my little sister, Lisanna." She turned her head in the direction of a petite girl with the same color hair as hers. She was talking to a group of men while serving them their drinks. One of them had the girl's same hair color and Lucy decided that they were siblings.

"Thank you," Lucy said taking the drink Mirajane had poured her.

"Are they still up there?" Levy asked Mirajane.

Mirajane gave a small sigh and responded, "Yes. Whatever happened must've been serious. All I know is that there was a substantial amount of damage and that Wendy's still at the dorm recovering."

"Poor girl," Levy muttered before turning to Lucy, "My apologies. The Master may take a longer time than I anticipated. We recently had an accident happen with one of our guild members."

"No, don't apologize. I understand and I have time. I'll just wait until they're done," Lucy said.

So that must've meant that Natsu was up there in that room with the Master. The revelation made her feel more at ease, even though she didn't have a reason to be scared. She'd noticed Natsu was the type of person to observe and let things form naturally. Like that time in the woods she'd spent with him, he'd known who she was but he still went along with the act.

"So what type of script magic do you specialize in?" Mirajane asked Lucy.

"Just a regular one. I like to translate texts from different languages. It's always been a hobby of mine since I was young," Lucy lied. She was surprised at how fluent it felt. She'd been doing it for a long time so she almost laughed out loud when she realized she hadn't doubted herself.

"That's amazing," Levy confided. "It was the same for me too. I came to Fairy Tail when I was around ten to pursue my dreams."

"It's the same with most of the other members in Fairy Tail," Mira added. "Erza, Natsu, Cana, my siblings and I have been here the earliest. However, we were unofficial members because of the law. We had to be at least fifteen years of age to be part of Fairy Tail but Master Makarov gave us a roof over our heads."

"We're really glad that you chose Fairy Tail," Levy said. "To us, our members are more than teammates and friends, they're family. And if you become one of us, you become our family member no matter what."

 _Family_. That was the one thing Lucy longed for and even if she was too stubborn to admit it, it was true. Sometimes when she was in the woods by herself she would make parallel universes and pretend that there weren't any demons trailing her and that her father and Lord Geer weren't after her. Those universes were nice to escape in but it couldn't change the grim reality of the world. She was a girl who'd killed and seen death in the eye. Family was something that could be nothing more than a figment of her imagination.

Her father had become a demon and traded her to the devil himself.

She suddenly felt a wave of guilt hit her. Her eyes darted from Levy and Mira to the cream soda that she was clutching very tightly. The epiphany was ingrained in her mind, if she joined Fairy Tail she would become one of them and then betray them.

 _Your survival is built on deceiving and gaining, Lucy, it's the sacrifice you make as a bearer of the Golden Keys,_ Capricorn had once told her during one of their swordplay sessions. But somehow it felt wrong to do that to these people who seemed genuine. She saw now why Natsu had insisted that she joined Fairy Tail. And the way how he cared for Wendy proved his point.

"Are you okay, Celestia?" Mirajane queried.

"I guess I'm feeling a little nervous," she said feigning anxiousness.

"Don't worry," Levy said, "If you really want it, you'll do fine."

While they spoke, Lucy couldn't stop thinking about what she'd learned about the guild. Despite Capricorn's words and her mission, the guilt ebbed at her. However, she knew the betrayal was her only option. In a world like hers, Capricorn was right. Her life depended on deceiving and betraying. She eased her conscious with knowing that one day when she was running away with another golden key, she'd be wondering why she'd had thoughts like this to begin with.

Suddenly, she heard a loud crashing sound from upstairs and diverted her attention to the second floor of the magical guild. The main doors opened and a familiar salmon haired male walked through it. He leaned against the railing, his long fingers curving against the banister. His dark eyes scanned the surrounding area of the first floor before his eyes landed on the blue haired girl next to her. She gulped, feeling a surge of anxiety building within her. Her hands began to sweat and she rubbed them nervously on her shirt. Her little action caused those dark eyes to shift to her and then her breath caught in throat. He looked somewhat the same from their last encounter, except his features grew sharper and more masculine. There was a keen look to his stare and Lucy wondered if he could see through her disguise, although she went through so much work to make sure he couldn't recognize her. Maybe, it was a lot harder to fool dragon slayers, because their heightened senses gave them an advantage with observation.

Her hands closed into tight fists against her abdomen as he simply jumped over the railing to crouch in the spot in front of them. Lucy backed up on the stool. Her back collided with the bar table as he fluidly rose to his full height and accosted her. She gulped again when he stopped a few inches in front her. He assessed her, his eyes wandering from her feet to her head. She couldn't hide the red tint in her cheeks. She lowered her gaze, hoping that he wasn't perceptive as to why she was blushing.

"Who is this?" he asked. His voice sounded deeper than she remembered.

"A new comer to Fairy Tail." Levy was the one who answered his question.

"Really?"

"Yes, and isn't it wonderful? She's a script wizard like me!" Levy enthused about.

"That's..." he paused and Lucy could feel the speculatively behind his intensive stare. All while conversing, he never averted his attention to the blue haired girl next to her. "Nice," he finally ended.

"Right? And Master Makarov will be happy to have an addition in the family," Levy said. Her face brightened up.

"Not so fast," he interrupted the script wizard. "We don't let anyone into Fairy Tail like that."

Levy's face lost all color. The other people in Fairy Tail went quiet.

"I don't think that's necessary...," Levy tried to say but Natsu once again interrupted her.

"We can't bend the rules for just anyone. They have to have a recommendation from a member and she doesn't," he pointed out. "Therefore, she has to follow protocol like everyone else."

"But most missions we get are for high ranking wizards. She can't do one by herself."

"Then she'll have to team up with someone from here," Mirajane added.

"And what about her abilities. Many jobs that come in don't include one for script wizards," Levy intercepted.

"I think I can think of a job," another voice included. Everyone turned to the owner of the voice and Lucy's gasp was audible as none other than the most famous guild master came out of his office to greet her. He was everything that people described. He was an elderly man with a friendly aura and was quite short but behind that amiable exterior, Lucy could feel the extreme magic that clung to his body. Her hands sweated even more as she hoped to keep up her disguise. A high ranking wizard like him could easily see through a disguise like hers if she wasn't careful.

"Celestia, is it?" he questioned.

Afraid to speak, she simply nodded her head.

"Are you willing to go through a trial to see if you're worthy to become a member of Fairy Tail?"

With that question, everyone's eyes landed on her. She would have squirmed in her spot if it weren't for the hard training she endured with Capricorn to keep stoic no matter the situation.

She inhaled a deep breath before answering, "Yes."

People broke into cheers around her. Levy beamed from next to her. All but one person seemed excited about the prospect of possibly getting one new member. She turned to look at the dark, narrowed stare of the fire user. His face was grim as he folded his arms across his muscled chest.

She definitely had to be careful how she treaded around Natsu. He was the only person who could ruin her chances of getting the other golden key. And failure was not an option.

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 **Well, we hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. There are more chapters to come soon. What will happen next now that Lucy and Natsu have met? Do you think he recognizes her?**

 **Also, a special thanks goes out to OuterspaceMermaid and taboadayvonne for reviewing. You're both awesome! Until next time. :)**


	19. Book II-Chapter 7

**Here is another chapter. We hope you like it. Thank you for reading, and adding this story to your favorite or follow list. Your support means a lot. Since July 4th is coming soon, we will be out for a family day. The next update will be after it. Thanks again. :)**

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"I don't know if I can do this," Lucy whispered the moment she walked out of Fairy Tail. The atmosphere in such a magical place was jolly and lively. It felt different from being in the woods. In the woods, she lived in darkness and silence. The only sounds she heard were from the wild animals or monsters and demons that lurked within the forestry terrain. Most of the time she was alone. Fairy Tail, on the other hand, was a different place. There were numerous people who seemed supportive and helpful. If Lucy didn't live on her own the past couple of years, she would have jumped at a chance to be in a place like Fairy Tail.

Now, the idea of joining such a guild seemed ludicrous. The best chance of survival was to be alone. For no one to get hurt, Lucy had to stay away from other people. It was the way things have always been the past couple of years. But it was also mandatory that she got the next golden key.

Lucy stopped walking in the street amidst the crowd. She ignored the city people moving around her as she tried to recollect her emotions. She couldn't believe how she was able to momentarily fool the master or the other guild members of Fairy Tail. However, Natsu was the one person she had to watch carefully. He seemed to detect deceit from her.

"Damn it," she muttered under her breath. Did being alone caused her to lose what special social skills she had? If that was the case, she might as well forget everything else that was taught to her about being a lady. "This mission is going to be harder than expected."

"Maybe you're over thinking it," said a familiar voice from next to her.

She didn't jump in surprise when she turned to look at person who greeted her. "And is it safe for you to be here in public?"

"No one knows and no one cares," Capricorn shrugged his shoulders. He still wore his dark cloak. The massive hood hid his face.

"Are you sure?" Lucy questioned. She folded her arms across her chest. "As it is, you look more suspicious than anyone else."

She could feel his smile. "I couldn't help but assure you everything is okay." Then he straightened his form, alerting Lucy there was something more to his usual appearance to make sure she was alright. "Except..."

"Except what?"

"Stay away from that fire user," Capricorn admonished.

Lucy furrowed her eyebrows. "What are you not telling me?"

"There's something off about his magic, like there's something retaining it. I can't explain."

Lucy looked at the ground and for the first time she realized she was out in the open. That made them vulnerable, especially to anyone walking out of Fairy Tail. They had to move along. She began walking into a cafe she saw earlier when she wandered the streets of Magnolia. Capricorn followed silently behind her. If it weren't for the fact that she could sense his magical presence, she wouldn't detect he was behind her.

Once they were in the cafe, Lucy left Capricorn to find a table in the back while she moved to the counter to pick up a magazine and order herself a ginger tea with honey. She paid for her stuff with jewels and headed to where Capricorn made himself at home, despite the obvious cloak. Lucy shook her head.

He raised his face to her. At the angle, light reflected off his shades, leaving Lucy to wonder when she last saw him without it. "Another one?" he pointed with his gloved finger at her Weekly Sorcerer magazine.

She smiled. "How else am I to scope out Fairy Tail?"

"Crux is happy to help."

She sat down across from him and he eyed her every movement with ease. All while his face remained exposed only to her. Other people wouldn't be able to see his face no matter how he moved. "I can't summon spirits here, remember? That leaves a strange magical aura. Besides, he did give me useful information about the members of Fairy Tail."

"Such as..."

"Fairy Tail has five S-class members, also known as very strong wizards. Laxus Dreyar, Mirajane Strauss, Erza Scarlet, Mystogan and Gildarts are those top wizards. Gildarts is considered to be Fairy Tail's trump card. The other wizards can be considered ordinary, except their magical abilities doubt that."

"Really?"

"I mean, they excel at what they do. Take for instance Levy. She is a script wizard with the ability to decode any written spell. She can make actual words appear to be real objects. There's also the fact that she knows a wealth of information."

"Okay, I get her, but what about the others?"

"The others are similar. Their magical abilities makes them resourceful, which questions my place among them."

Capricorn was silent.

Lucy breathed in a sigh as her shoulders slumped. "I am going to be another script wizard like Levy but my abilities are not as good as hers. She can find ways to break through magical spells because she uses the logical approach to things. I am somewhat the same way due to my real magic but I know the elementary skills of script magic."

"Again you're over thinking things," Capricorn said as he shrugged his shoulders.

"It's my over thinking that kept us alive so far," she warned him. As not to lose her temper and draw the attention of others around them, she opened her purchase of the Weekly Sorcery Magazine. She turned the pages until the section of Fairy Tail popped into view.

"You have a point, my l..."

Lucy snapped her head to him and narrowed her eyes. She had been trying her best to get him to stop addressing her as lady. One, it would catch attention from bounty hunters who sought her for being a celestial wizard. And two, the word "lady" brought unpleasant memories of the past.

"My apologies," he corrected himself.

She heaved in a breath before letting it go all while she shutting her eyes. "It's okay. Just remember where we are."

He briskly nodded his head.

She opened her eyes and turned her attention to the magazine and flipped a page. All of a sudden her eyes widened at the unexpected sight. A picture of Natsu with his playful grin greeted her and Lucy felt her heart skip a beat. Her cheeks heated up as she was momentarily caught off guard.

"Talk about the devil and he appears," she heard Capricorn's remark.

"We weren't talking about him," she tartly replied.

"But we were earlier."

She couldn't think of how to respond to him so she settled with skimming the article about him. "I'm definitely going to have to be extra careful around him," she said as an afterthought.

"Why?" Capricorn asked as he leaned forward to read the contents about the fire wizard on the page.

"Apparently, he's not only a dragon slayer. He's been picked as one of the contenders to participate in the S-Class events for Fairy Tail. Only strong candidates are picked for rare events and if he's one, then I'm underestimating his magical abilities. Damn it!" She bumped her fist not too lightly on the table.

There was a moment of silence. Lucy was immersed in reading the article that her body jerked when a hot cup of ginger tea was put on the table before her. The waiter rubbed the back of his head in apology while smiling sheepishly at her. She put a hand to her chest, waiting for the pumping of her heart to slow down. Then, she dipped into her pocket and tipped the waiter generously for severing her.

"Did you have to react like that?"

"I didn't see him coming..."

"This Natsu person has you all nervous," he pointed out.

"You don't get it."

"Then explain."

"He's intimidating. He has one of those all know it stares yet you never know what he's thinking. And then you spot him in the most unlikely of places. I have every reason to be wary of him."

"I agree with you, which is why it's best to stay away from him."

Lucy nodded her head.

"Avoid him at all costs," Capricorn added.

She cradled her forehead with both hands.

"It's best if I leave," he said. He rose to his full height and swiveled the chair into another table across from them. She felt his presence fade as he strolled with ease out of the cafe. His magic dispersed, notifying her of his return in the celestial world. She was alone, now; left to brood.

The conversation about the fire user, left her feeling uneasy. "Damn! There has to be another way to get into Fairy Tail."

"I didn't know you're so passionate about joining our guild," a masculine voice broke her out of her musing.

"What the hell!" Her head jerked into the place where the fire wizard stood. He watched her in amusement. The playful grin stretched farther across his face as he backed up the chair from the other table and straddled it where Capricorn sat not too long ago.

Finally getting back her voice, she snapped at him. "I don't remember giving you permission to sit with me!"

"I don't recall asking for your permission," he said. "The last time I checked, the cafe is a free place for anyone to sit."

"There's a difference between being civil and rude and you're being extremely rude," she hissed through gritted teeth. Some people turned their heads toward them, but she didn't care.

Natsu's dark eyes left her form to roam everywhere in the room before returning on her. "It seems you're the rude one here. "

Lucy's hands curled into fists. "Damn you!" She got up from her table, leaving her ginger tea untouched. She was about to turn around and leave when Natsu simply reached over, took her tea with his hand and drank the steaming contents in one shot. Her eyes almost bulged at the fact that the hot tea didn't scald him. Then she remembered he was a fire dragon slayer. He could endure anything pertaining to heat and fire. In fact, he ate fire.

"I don't have time for this," she extended her arms to implicate his presence.

He just sat there with a smug look on his face.

"Are you hearing me?"

He put down the cup on the table and crossed his muscled arms across the bearing of the seat. His dark eyes glinted with mischievousness.

"I'm leaving," she announced to him and the others. She turned her back to him. For a moment, the other people around them sighed in relief but his next words stopped her dead in her tracks.

"I wonder how we're going to work together for our trial mission if you're going to be acting like this."

"Excuse me," she said. She whirled to face him. Her face was devoid of any color.

He chuckled at the stricken look on her face. "Gramps, I mean Master Makarov, found us a job to do. We're going to be partners."

And Lucy's mind went blank.


	20. Book II-Chapter 8

"There has to be some mistake," Lucy insisted as she watched Natsu make himself at home.

"Why?" he asked sounding all too innocent. She knew his actions better.

"We're just not compatible to work together," she said while she pointed to him and herself.

He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Can't you see we have completely different personalities. I have the smarts," she said. She put her hands on her hips to emphasize how she looked; studious. "And you're a fighter."

"Exactly my point for why we will be great partners. You do the thinking and I do the fighting," he said nonchalantly.

Lucy stared at him for a bit like he had grown two horns on his head before shaking her head. "Why do I even bother?"

"Because either way you're stuck with me on this trial mission and if you really want to get into Fairy Tail, you need my approval."

"I'm thinking about doing a double take," Lucy muttered to herself. However with Natsu's keen hearing, he heard her words.

"There are other ways to get into Fairy Tail but you have to prove your worth. This is the easiest way."

 _If you only knew my real abilities,_ she thought. She wasn't the same simpering girl he met two years ago. She could now look after herself. In fact she got Erza's approval to join Fairy Tail. She just didn't take the red head's offer because that meant exposing her true identity.

She sighed as she realized she didn't have many options. She was going to have to deal with Natsu while hoping he kept her secret.

 _That's only if he knows who I really am and judging how he's acting, he may know me, dammit._

The fire wizard smiled knowingly at her and Lucy wanted nothing more than to pummel him. She clenched her fists at her sides as he rose gracefully from his chair.

"Then it's all settle," he said. A smirk formed on his face when he walked past her.

"Not so fast buster," she literally growled. "We need to find out what we're dealing with if we're going on that mission."

"That's already been covered," he said. He folded his hands behind his head. His back faced her. Lucy fumed. On lookers could have sworn that smoke came from her ears.

"Why haven't I been told about anything?"

"Gramps asked me to review the details with you. Maybe it's faster to show you the job than explain it to you."

He uncurled his arms from behind his head and with a hand, he pulled out a crumbled paper from his back pants' pocket. He handed it to Lucy who looked at it with horror and disgust.

"You gotta be kidding me?"

"No," he said. When she refused to take the wrinkled paper, he let it go and it fell to the floor. "If you choose not to read about the job, then it's not my problem if you don't know what to do."

Her forehead wrinkled as she watched the crumbled paper look out of place in the clean cafe. From the creased lines, she could see the fading ink. There was a picture of an open book. It seemed Master Makarov picked a job with her wizard description. And she was fortunate, it may be the job she wanted from the very beginning. But from the poor condition of job ad, she couldn't be a hundred percent sure that was the job she wanted. That left one other option.

"I need to hear from the horse's mouth what the job is."

"We have horses in the stables but no one can speak horse."

Lucy tried her best to refrain from growling but displeasure was clearly evident on her face. "I didn't mean it literally."

"You meant it figuratively," he interrupted her. "I know what you meant, I was only messing with you." He began laughing at her. He covered his grin with his hands as his shoulders shook.

"It's not funny," she almost yelled at him.

"I know but I can't help it. You're too easy to rile up," he said in between his laughter.

"Oh jolly, I can see we're going to have fun," she muttered. She bent down and retrieved the crumbled paper. She crunched it up in her hand before rudely bumping into Natsu to throw the paper away in the trash.

"Yeah and that's only going to be one sided," he implored. He shrugged his shoulders. He glanced at the table where the Weekly Sorcery Magazine was left open with a picture of his face. He turned his focus on her and followed her out of the cafe with a big grin on his handsome face.

* * *

They made a noticeable trail from the cafe all the way back to Fairy Tail with their loud banters. In fact, Lucy's voice was overheard by many of the passers while the salmon haired male just smirked.

"Why do you have to be so infuriating?" Lucy yelled at the dragon slayer.

"Because you're too easy to annoy," he simply answered with a smirk still shown on his face.

"Look, all I asked is you tell me what you know about our job," she demanded.

"I thought you said you were the brains and I was the fighter."

" I didn't mean for me..." Lucy fumbled with her words. She was too busy trying to find out to persuade Natsu to tell her what he knew about the job that she never expected them to get into Fairy Tail so fast. It was only Mirajane's smile that reminded Lucy they reached their destination.

"Since we're here already, I have to check in with Gramps. You wait down here for me," Natsu said before Lucy could stop him. He dashed upstairs to the second floor and disappeared into a doorway entry. Lucy watched with a stunned expression before blinking her eyes. She made an attempt to follow the fire dragon slayer but was stopped by the bartender.

"Sorry, you can't go upstairs yet. You have to become an official member of Fairy Tail before you have access to upstairs," Mirajane said while she grabbed one of Lucy's forearms.

Lucy stopped dead in her tracks and offered Mirajane a shaky smile. "That's okay. I understand that Fairy Tail has certain rules to follow by."

"Well, that's kind of you. Usually other people who try to get into Fairy Tail make a fuss to see the old man."

"I kind of want to see him so I can get more information about the job that Natsu and I are doing."

"So you and Natsu are on a first name basis?" Mirajane asked while wagging her eyebrows.

"Uhh...," Lucy tried to answer the bartender's question. Apparently, she saw hearts appearing in the silver haired female's eyes. "It's not what you think. We just have to rely on each other."

"Believe me when I say you're doing fine," another girl pitched in. She laid a glass of cold water on the table before Lucy.

"And you are?" Lucy waited for the other silver haired girl to introduce herself even though Lucy saw her when she first entered Fairy Tail.

"Lisanna. Mirajane is my older sister."

"It's nice to meet you," Lucy said as she held out her hand. The short haired girl shook her hand before folding her arms on the counter. She leaned her head on her arms and sighed.

"Natsu and you are doing great so far." Lisanna looked to her sister. "Don't you think big sister?"

"Yeah. Natsu usually doesn't get along well with the other members of Fairy Tail. He's more quiet and serious."

"Really?" Lucy asked, taken aback by the fire user's behavior. "You could have fooled me."

"Seriously, Natsu only talks to Happy, his blue flying cat. If he talks to other people, it's because he has to associate with them."

"Wow, with the way he likes to get me on my nerves, I would have thought differently," Lucy replied to Lisanna.

"You should count your stars. At least you and him are getting off to a good start for your trial mission," Mirajane said.

"Plus, he's not a hard to judge other people," Lisanna added.

"Well, I don't know about that," Lucy said. She picked up her glass and took a sip of water. She almost sighed at the cool liquid dissolving in her mouth.

"What do you mean?" asked Mirajane.

"For starters, I know next to nothing about the job we're doing. I wanted to see Master Makarov or see if I can get a copy of the job." Lucy paused before adding, "You don't happen to have a copy of the ad?"

"Nope. Sorry," Lisanna answered. "We gave the last copy to Natsu. However, you're right. Master will have another copy of it. It's just that you don't have access to second floor until..."

"Until I become an official member of Fairy Tail," Lucy interrupted her. "I got it." She took another sip of her water.

"Think of trying to get more information about the job like part of your trial test, Celestia," Mirajane interjected.

Lucy blinked her eyes before it dawned on her that she was under a disguise. She wasn't Lucy but Celestia. And on top of her name being different, she donned different clothing. Her hair was a lavender color. She wore spectacles to give on an astute appearance. She couldn't think like her old self, she had to place herself in the shoes of a script wizard.

"Thanks," she said to the bartender. "I would've never thought of that."

"Of course," Mirajane replied with a big smile on her face. "That's what we're here for."

"You may not be a member of Fairy Tail yet but that doesn't stop us from giving you suggestions," Lisanna said. "In fact if you're looking for more information, how about looking for Kaby Melon. He's the one who posted the job."

Lucy couldn't help the smile that overtook her face. Quickly, she downed the rest of the cool water in the glass before putting it down on the table.

"Thanks!" Without waiting for the two bartenders' reply, Lucy fixed her glasses on her face, then swiveled on her feet and disappeared in the crowd of Fairy Tail members.

* * *

Upstairs in Master Makarov's office, Natsu leaned back against the chair he was sitting in. Across from him, he could see Master Makarov staring intently at the job ad on his desk.

"Are you sure this job is suited for her?" Natsu asked.

"If you're implying that Celestia may not be who she said she is, than this will be the job that will expose her."

Natsu shrugged his shoulders. "I'm only saying she reminds me of the runaway from two years ago. And there's something off by her scent. She doesn't smell like a script wizard like Levy. Her magic smells different."

"Then you have the chance to expose her for her true color. Until then, don't let her out of your sight. Do I make myself clear, Natsu?"

"Yeah, gramps," the salmon haired dragon slayer answered. He got up from his seat and stretched his arms over his head. "Things are getting interesting." He lowered his arms and headed for the door.

When the door slammed shut, Master Makarov looked down at the ad on his desk. The prize flashed clearly for him to read. A golden key; Virgo.

"You better be right, Natsu, or else."

* * *

 **That's it for now. Sorry for not updating in awhile. My sister is working this summer and although I'm on vacation, I have so many other writing projects. It's kind of hard for us to work together since she comes home tired. Well, take care. And don't forget to tell us what you think. Do you like it? Not like it? Etc...**


	21. Book II-Chapter 9

Kaby Melon was a familiar name among the wealthy people. In fact the Melon name came into existence a decade ago when noble families were being introduced among the older and wealthier families in Fiore providence. Lucy and her father were one of the families that attended the event back then. Who would have ever thought that she was going to see Mr. Melon again? Only this time he was going to meet a nobody rather than a noble person.

"This is for the better," Lucy reassured herself as she stepped on the last step of the front door. To find Mr. Melon's estate was no problem. The people of Magnolia knew where he lived. The shocker came from finding little security in his expensive home. For a moment Lucy had to do a double take to make sure she found the right place.

"It's too late to turn back now." She lifted and curled her fingers until they formed a fist. She tapped lightly on the door after seeing no doorbell. "Maybe no one will hear me and I can go back to Fairy Tail and pummel Natsu into telling me more about the job he was given."

Her knock was barely audible. Just as she was about to give up and turn tail, the door opened to reveal a slender woman wearing a long and tight black dress.

"May I help you?" The woman addressed Lucy.

She smiled tightly, hoping she didn't chicken out at the last moment. It felt weird for her to be associating with rich families once again.

"Yes, my name is Celestia Moonright and I'm here to find out more about the job Mr. Melon requested Fairy Tail to complete."

The woman's dark eyebrows drew together as she examined Lucy. "You don't have the paper?"

Lucy stuttered in her laugh while she rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. "Well, you see the paper didn't give enough information..."

"Oh, I'm sorry about that. Please come in," the lady said as she invited Lucy into the Melon residence.

"Thank you," Lucy answered her. Her lady etiquette came back in full force as she curtsied. Then she made her way into a grand sitting room. There was a man dressed in a business suit who sat on the couch. He was in the midst of reading a Magnolia newspaper when he looked up. His eyes widened at the sight of Lucy.

For a brief moment, Lucy paused wondering if the man known as Kaby Melon recognized her as Lucy Heartfelia. When he stood up and bowed to her, she found she could breathe again.

"Honey, this is Celestia Moonright from Fairy Tail. She came to learn more about DayBreak."

"DayBreak?" Lucy questioned.

"Yes, it's the book I want retrieved and destroyed. In fact, I increased the reward from two hundred thousand jewels to twenty golden coins."

Lucy's eyes widened in shock from the sudden turn of events. High paying jobs usually went to S-Class wizards. Golden coins were equivalent to millions of jewels. Only the noble families and wealthy people possessed golden coins. Golden coins were made from real gold. She was fortunate to have some because she found a pouch in the forest.

"That's quite a large reward for a regular job."

"I have my reasons," the man answered.

"And if you don't mind telling me, why do you want DayBreak destroyed?"

"It's a type of book that brings back painful memories." The man took a seat as he indicated for Lucy to do the same. The woman who greeted her took a seat by his side.

"My apologies, will you like something to eat or drink?"

"I'm good," Lucy said. "You wouldn't mind telling more about DayBreak?"

The book had a strange title, one she never heard before. For Mr. Melon to want to get rid of the book must have been a big deal.

"DayBreak was written by my father. It's one of the worst books ever made and it's a huge disgrace compare to the other books my father wrote. I need that book found and destroyed. Then I can find some peace."

"But don't you think that it is...?"

Lucy never got to finish ask her question because Mr. Melon gave her a crazy look. Apparently, there was no room to broach the subject of destroying the book. And then she remembered the other reward that was promised with the book.

"Is there by any chance a promise of a golden celestial key?"

The man frowned before something dawned on him.

"The person who has DayBreak has a golden key. In fact, he's a celestial wizard."

Lucy crossed her arms over her ample chest. Her glasses glinted from the sunlight peering through the large windows.

"Isn't that giving false information?"

The man fumbled for the right words. His wife rescued him.

"You have to understand that Mr. Everlue employed my husband's father until his last moments. The man refuses to give us DayBreak and because of this, we hope someone can get the book."

"But doesn't that mean you promise something of value if you don't have it?"

"You will get it," the woman promised. "The Magic Council is after him because he is a celestial wizard. If they get their hands on him, he's going to have to give up his keys. That means whatever he gives up is what you get. Just be there when the Magic Council comes to collect him."

Facing the Magic Council wasn't a good idea, especially since Lucy was going by a false name. If the Magic Council discovered her, she would be detained and questioned by them. Celestia Moonright was a name that couldn't be found in their records.

Unfortunately, she needed her clients to think everything was going well with the job. "Sure thing," she agreed.

"Then everything is settled," Mr. Melon said with a small smile tugging on the corner of his lips. He got up from his seat to retrieve a small piece of paper. He extended the slip of paper for Lucy to take it.

"This has Duke Everlue's address on it. Currently, he is staying on the outskirts of Magnolia, near Hydra Inn."

Lucy had been in Hydra Inn when she first entered Magnolia. She had a good idea of where to locate Mr. Everlue's residence. However, she was astonished to know that Mr. Everlue stayed near the dark forest. Demons lurked close to his home.

"Thank you," she said. She took the paper from his grasp.

"No, we should be thanking you. We will finally be at peace," the man said as he bowed low to her.

She curtsied one last time before taking her leave. Once she made it outside, she slipped the paper in her pocket and waited until she was completely alone. There was a flash of light from next to her and Capricorn was strolling beside her.

"Do you think it's a good idea to pursue the golden key now that we know Duke Everlue is a celestial wizard?" he asked.

"Do we have another choice?" she returned his question with another question.

"Maybe we can get the key another way."

"Either way we still need Natsu's approval to get into Fairy Tail and it wouldn't look good if we ditch him now."

Capricorn nodded his head. "Try to be careful when the Magic Council appears to take the celestial wizard away."

"Easier said than done," she warned him. Maybe if Lucy could down play her part in obtaining DayBreak and make Natsu do the rest of the work, he would be the one to deal with the Magic Council. Plus, he was already an official member of Fairy Tail. They would need his signature before they detained Mr. Everlue for whatever reason.

"There's something I don't get." Lucy said as an afterthought.

"What is it?"

"Why is the Magic Council looking for celestial wizards?"

"Do you think they're trying to protect them?"

"Or is there something more in the role of being a celestial wizard?"

"If there is, you already know why we need all twelve of the keys."

Lucy didn't say anything. They were almost within the city perimeters, which meant that Capricorn had to return to the Celestial World before he was discovered by Natsu. And she knew the fire dragon slayer was going to meet up with her very soon. She did say she was going to wait in Fairy Tail for him.

As if taking his cue, Capricorn disappeared. Lucy walked onward for a couple more minutes before she saw a familiar silhouette waiting for her in the distance. She closed the distance between herself and the figure to see that she was right. Natsu lounged against a tree with his hands folded behind his head. He smirked at her as he untangled his long limbs.

"How did everything go at Mr. Melon's place?" he asked .

"Everything went well, thank you very much."

"So you found out enough information for us to get started on our job?"

"Yes, and I say let's begin now."

"All right, you lead the way." And that's exactly what Lucy did.

* * *

 **Here's another chapter. Do you like it so far? Or do you not like it? We are putting twists if you noticed but there will be major differences from the anime. You will see those major differences in time. Thank you for reading. Until next time.**


	22. Book II-Chapter 10

Natsu made the decision for Lucy when he decided that they trek to the outskirts of Magnolia rather than take the train. He was adamant that trains or any magical vehicles was going to suppress their magical ability. Lucy knew the real reason. From her research about dragon slayers, they had a weakness. They got motion sickness. However, she didn't want Natsu to discover that she had much knowledge about his kind. It would make him more suspicious about her.

They were close to the inn that she first stopped at when she entered Magnolia. The inn looked quiet during the daylight hours. The triangular roof peeked out from the surrounding trees and Lucy could make out the mountains in the background. As they ventured further to Hydra Inn, she realized that small buildings and houses disappeared. The asphalt road ended near a brick wall covered with ivy. On the other side was a dirt road that led to Hydra Inn and it vanished into the woods. Magnolia woods was covered with shadows and fog. Lucy was astonished that none of the demons or monsters disturbed the inn since it was located behind the ivy bricked wall that separated Magnolia woods from the thriving city. She felt the sudden shift in magical presence as Natsu and her halted at the wall. She frowned as she couldn't recall coming across the magical shift when she entered Magnolia.

"Do you feel that?" The fire wizard asked her.

"Feel what, exactly?" Lucy questioned. She was unsure that she and the dragon slayer were thinking about the same thing.

"The magical barrier."

"Yes."

"It's stronger, which means there have been a lot of demon activity along the barrier separating Magnolia from the forest."

This was't news to Lucy. Since she sent word to Sebastian about her whereabouts, the number of demons' activity would increase on the outskirts of the rich city.

"That also means that Fairy Tail is monitoring who goes in and out of the city."

That was a bad thing for Lucy, considering that she only altered her physical appearance. There was no way to alter her magical aura and every wizard passing through magical barriers would be identified according to their aura.

If she passed through the barrier with Natsu, there was a good chance that Fairy Tail was going to be alerted a fire dragon slayer was traveling with a celestial wizard.

 _Should I take my chances?_ she pondered. By the time she and Natsu completed their job, she would have the golden key. _Maybe I should. All I need is the key._

Lucy needed to be smart or else she wouldn't last long in Fairy Tail. But she also had to take risks.

She was lost in thought that she never noticed when the fire wizard crossed the barrier. He turned to her and coughed to get her attention.

"I don't know about you but we don't have all day."

Lucy glared at him before she followed him. _There goes my fake identity._

She felt the magic rippled through her body as she passed it. It welcomed her but the ripple discerned what kind of magic she used and it was sending news to Fairy Tail. Lucy realized that she didn't have enough time to dally around with the job. They needed to do the job as quickly as possible.

"How about we stop at Hydra Inn before we begin the job?"

"Not a good idea," Lucy disagreed with Natsu.

He have her a strange look.

"We should finish the job while it's still daylight outside. The forest is no place to wander around at night."

"Then we can come back right after our job is over," he stated.

Lucy agreed with him. Hydra Inn was the perfect distraction; she could escape. She could take her chances with wandering around in the forest at night and dealing with demons than facing Fairy Tail's inquisition. She missed her sword. Her waist felt naked without it.

 _I can't wait to return to me again._

Natsu smiled at having his way yet again. They ventured further into the woods, noticing how the fog seemed to curl along the edges of the ground. The fog danced around their bodies with their sudden movements. However, for the mist to appear early in the day gave Lucy the shivers. From her previous encounters with early mist, usually, Lucy encountered trouble.

"This Everlue must be some high class wizard," the salmon haired male commented.

"What makes you say that?" Lucy asked as her hands rubbed her forearms.

"Well, he's almost living in Magnolia woods."

"You mean his estate is located in Magnolia woods," Lucy corrected him.

"Oh, you get what I mean." He shook his head. "His home is not located within the city's barrier. It's like he has something to hide."

It was the same suspicion Lucy had when Mr. Melon gave her Mr. Everlue's address. No ordinary person could live outside a magical barrier unless he or she was a strong wizard. And Mr. Everlue was a celestial wizard.

They kept trailing along the dirt pathway until they reached a point the fog dispersed. Immediately, they saw a castle. The castle stood on a rocky rise cradled in a bend of a small river. Lucy's eyebrows drew together in a straight line as she recalled not hearing splashes of water while hiking through the woods. The original building had been updated over the years. The hill, the tall structure was standing on, was tactically chosen to repel attacks. The Magic Council guards would have a hard time penetrating the castle, but if she and Natsu played their cards right, they wouldn't.

They met the first barrier on top of a hill.

 _So this explains how Mr. Everlue is able to live outside Magnolia. He has somehow erected magical barriers around his estate._

The fire user extended a muscled arm in midair to halt Lucy. Using his pointer finger with his other hand, he touched the air and there was a slight ripple. It distorted the image of the castle. His fingers curled into a fist as he conjured flames. He punched a hole right through the wall and the barrier fell away.

"What a way to not notify them of our presence," Lucy remarked.

"They already know we're here. The barrier sets an illusion for non-magic users to not know its whereabouts."

The next barrier was the closed gates. Luckily, there was a small door by some vegetation. Natsu silently indicated with his eyes for them to stop in front of it. He grabbed a pebble from the ground and flung it at the door. There was another magical ripple.

"I don't think barging in is a good idea," Lucy reflected on his plan to get inside the castle.

"Do you have any better ideas?" He gave her an annoyed expression.

She shrugged her shoulders before scanning the exterior walls of the castle. The bottom windows had window guards. The higher windows looked impossibly small for her or Natsu to fit through. Along the stone walls had vines. Lucy moved closer to the wall's edge and tugged on a thick vine. The vine detached against the castle wall. She pulled it with more strength and laughed when the vine was still held in place.

"How about we climb up this vine until we reach the top of the castle?"

"Aren't there guards up there?" he questioned skeptically as he folded his arms across his muscled chest. Her eyes tried not to stray to a six pack chest.

"We will know that already if you use your draconic senses to sense if anyone is up there."

His dark eyes narrowed at her.

"We don't have all day!" she said in exasperation.

He shut his eyes and lifted his head. He took a deep breath while he listened for movement. He opened his eyes and shook his head when he heard nothing.

A big smile blossomed on her face until he grabbed the vine from her. "Better I go first to make sure we are not heading into a trap. You don't know how to fight."

Lucy made a scrunched facial expression. He only smirked before he expertly climbed the vine all the way to the roof of the castle. She, on the other hand, struggled to find the right footing on the stone wall. By the time she made it to the balcony on the roof, she doubled over, sweating and panting for air.

Natsu held out an open hand to her. She would have accepted it, if it wasn't for his mocking smirk. Instead, she swatted at his arm and stood up on wobbly legs. She waited for the stiffness to fade from her limbs. The fire user left her and scanned their surroundings using his heightened senses. Lucy's eyes drifted shut as she used her own magic to do the same. At this hour, most of the servants were on the bottom floors or in the stables, a separate building behind the castle. She wrinkled her nose as the air thickened with malice and corruption. She felt a quicksilver of a familiar presence before shaking her head. She hadn't felt it for many years.

"The study room is on the second floor," Natsu's voice quipped at her.

She opened her eyes to blink them. Momentarily, she forgot that Natsu was with her. She hoped he wasn't observing her while she used her magic or else he would have known she wasn't a script wizard.

His face looked grim as he took the lead. "Follow me."

Lucy wanted to argue with him but she kept her mouth shut as he led the way inside the castle. She hated to admit how resourceful the dragon slayer was. He predicted the guards' locations. He knew when to pause and continue when servants scurried about to do their jobs. Eventually, they found their way to the the second floor while remaining undetected. The lock on the study room door was old and primitive, easy for the salmon haired male to open. Both Lucy and him stepped into a massive room that was richly furnished. Lucy wasted little time on the furnishing as she rushed toward the book shelves.

"Natsu, look at the other side of the shelves for a book called DayBreak."

"There are too many books. Do you know how the book looks like?" He moved to the other side of the room and stared at the huge bookshelf filled with numerous books of different colors and sizes.

"No! Read the label on the side of the book!" she exclaimed impatiently.

Using a pointer finger, she skimmed through every book within her reach. After several moments of futile searching, she stomped her foot in frustration. "Dammit! How are we suppose to find this book?"

"Maybe we're looking for it in the wrong place," Natsu suggested.

"Where else we can find more books?"

"What about the desk?"

"What about it?"

"Normally, people put important stuff on their desk."

Lucy paused. She felt like their roles had switched; the dragon slayer had the brains and she was... Whatever.

"You may be onto something," she said. They both moved to the magnificent desk in the center of the room. She took the left side while Natsu went to the right. On cue, they both shifted aside documents and and random objects in pursuit of DayBreak. They sighed when they were unsuccessful.

"This is hopeless!" Lucy complained. "At this rate we'll be discovered by Mr. Everlue's guards."

"Why do call him Mr. Everlue?" Natsu suddenly questioned.

Caught off guard, she opened her mouth but not a sound came out.

"I find it strange that you show him respect."

Finding herself, she shrugged her shoulders. "I guess I was raised to show elders respect."

One of his eyebrows raised in question. "Really?"

Uncomfortably, she nodded her head.

"I will like to know to more about how you were raised." He sat down cross-legged on the lush cream carpet.

"What are you doing?"

"Making myself comfortable. We're going to be here for awhile."

"Not if I have anything to say about it." She went back to searching the contents on Mr. Everlue's desk.

After shuffling through papers, Natsu's voice penetrated through her futile search. "Aren't you going to tell me a little about yourself?"

"Why do you care to know about my past?"

"Because, everyone at Fairy Tail has a past."

" _Everyone_ has a past," she said, feeling annoyed at the dragon slayer's pointless questions.

"True," he responded. He stared at the ceiling instead of her. "But wizards have _dark_ pasts."

The finality of his tone left no room for retort. He spoke the truth. The past two years, many wizards had to shake their fear away before coming into the light about their magical abilities. Those, who could remember life before the demons began appearing in forests, could testify to the horrors of watching their kind hunted down and burned at the stakes. Those wizards weren't under the Magic Council's protection; the Magic Guilds. They were afraid of the Council taking away their freedom. Anyone who worked for the Magic Council in the past became slaves. Lucy could imagine how the weight lifted from Fairy Tail, now, that they weren't chained down by the Magic Council.

"What is your dark past?" Lucy asked him.

He took a deep breath. "Being abandoned. What about you?"

"A runaway," she muttered. She sat down on the soft carpet next to him.

A playful smile formed on his lips. "You won't happen to be a fugitive?"

Her breath caught in her throat. "A fugitive?"

"Runaways become fugitives because they have people who are looking for them."

She let go a breath. "Well, if you put it that way, I guess you can say I'm one."

Then Natsu began to laugh. His laughter echoed through Mr. Everlue's office. Quickly, she crawled to his side and tried to muffle his laughter by covering his mouth with her hand. Easily, he evaded her attempts. He grabbed her arms and pushed her down on the carpeted floor. He hovered over her as his laughter died away. They stared at each other; Lucy was panting for air and Natsu was acting strangely calm. His eyes, though, had a piercing quality, as if he was peering into her soul.

"Out of all the times we've been together, this is the first time you've been fully honest with me," he said.

"Excuse me," she huffed. She blew at some lavender strands sticking at the side of her face.

He smirked. "Dragon slayers have draconic senses. We can easily sense deceit."

Lucy shook her head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

His smirked widened. "Like now, you're being deceitful. You mentioned my draconic senses earlier."

 _Damn! He knows!_

 _"_ I wonder what else you're hiding." His face moved closer to hers. She could feel his hot breath on her neck. Her eyes was suddenly drawn to his lips as he said the next words. "Perhaps, we met before."

Then, she remembered the kiss they shared. His lips, surprisingly, was soft. She felt electricity had zapped her from her lips to the tips of her toes before she pushed him away. She ran from him and the feelings his kiss stirred.

 _Too bad he feels nothing for me._

That thought soured her mood. She began to struggle against his hold. Her hips lifted off the carpet as she balanced most of the weight on her wrists and feet. He simply sat on her to still her actions.

Lucy frowned. "Let me go."

"No."

She schooled her facial expression and tried again. "Let me go."

"No. What else are you hiding?"

"Nothing." Her eyes strayed from his face.

"I smell more lies. You can't trick my nose. Every time you lie, your sweet smells turns sour."

There were a lot of things she wanted to know but that wasn't one of them. She felt bothered that her smell changed based on her moods.

Lucy struggled again, shaking her arms and legs. He smirked as he lowered his face to hers. Her eyes widened at the sudden gleam there. Her breath caught at the close proximity between them. His lips was mere inches from her lips. She could feel his hot breath fanned against her cheeks. Her face heated at the thought of kissing him again.

His smirk turned into a roguish grin.

"Am I interrupting?" an annoyingly high pitch voice asked from nowhere.

She wasn't expecting anyone to walk in on them. They must look like lovers. Lucy's face turned redder.

"Get off me," she hissed at Natsu.

His smile still remained in place as he raised his upper body until he was straddling her. His black eyes was still on her as he addressed the other person.

"No," he answered. "We're just getting to the interesting part."

"Natsu!" she yelled.

If Lucy could smack him, she would have done it. Instead, she was shamefully pinned beneath him.

"How about you give me a show?" the other voice asked.

Natsu's grin was wider. His eyes sparkled with mischief. "How about it, Celestia?"

Lucy began to panic. She wiggled her body while she tried to look at whoever walked in on their uncompromising position.

"No!" she squeaked as the fire wizard closed the distance between them. His dark eyes and salmon hair filled her vision.

She turned her head at the last second and she felt his lips grazed her cheek.

"Stop it!" Her words sounded like a squeal. Her body shuddered under his one.

Deftly, he shifted both her wrists in one hand. He spanned calloused fingers on her throat. Gently, he pressed his pointer finger on the pulse at her throat and she felt the fast rhythm. A shaky breath left her.

The spectator was laughing in the background. "Oh, what a scene!"

Natsu's lips grazed her earlobe and he bit down gently before he lifted his head. Darkness gleamed in his eyes. Lucy swallowed as she felt his fingers tightened on her throat. It was a warning.

"Usually, I don't go for the petite type of females. But I can make an exception for this girl. She enjoys being touched."

Lucy stayed quiet as Natsu's face turned dangerous. "In most cases, I don't mind leaving a girl. But in this case, this girl is rather special."

She frowned at the dragon slayer's words.

"I'll give a good price for her."

"Sounds tempting." A smirk replaced the dangerous look on his face. "But I have something else in mind."

"What is it?" the other man asked eagerly.

"Do you want to know?"

The man nodded enthusiastically. Lucy was about to say something but the pressure on his fingers tightened on her throat.

"I want the golden key in your possession."

The man laughed. "I can give something else but not my key."

Natsu raised a brow.

The man pulled out a golden key from his pocket and dangled it. "You see, this is already being used by me and the only way you can obtain a celestial wizard's key is to kill the celestial wizard."

"Is that all?"

Lucy tried to shake her head at the fire wizard but he restrained her movement.

"Yes, so you see, you can't take my key from me."

"Well, then, Mr. Everlue, I'm assuming that's who you are. I will have to get rid of you."

The man sputtered at his straightforwardness. Natsu finally got off of her. She coughed as she tried to inhale air into her lungs. When she could breathe she sat up and watched with disbelief as the dragon slayer accosted a blond chubby man dressed in a dark gray suit.

"Natsu," she said his name with uncertainty.

The salmon haired wizard didn't show he heard her. He cracked his knuckles and a growl rumbled from his chest.

The overweight man with a black mustache, that didn't match the blond hair on top of his head, lifted his key higher in the air. "Open gate of the maiden, Virgo."

There was a flash of light, followed by a doorbell sound. The floor began to shake, causing Lucy to "eep." The floor cracked until it gave away to a huge hole. Quickly, she found her balance on the uneven ground as she stared in awe at an overweight, pink haired woman in a maid outfit pop out from the hole.

"Punishment, master?"

Natsu, who dodged the cracks from the floor, halted.

The man laughed again and he pointed a finger at them. "Virgo, punish them."

"Oh gosh! We're actually fighting a zodiac spirit," Lucy almost yelled.

On the other hand, Natsu didn't wait. He moved quickly that she almost missed his flamed fist slamming into Virgo's abdomen. The large maid was rooted in place as her body slightly hunched over Natsu's form. Then the floor cracked around both of them, until it gave away. Both figures fell through a massive hole, leaving Lucy and Mr. Everlue in the study room.

The chubby man leered at her, making her take a step back. "Well, cupcake it's just you and me. I can't wait to get my hands on you to make you scream."

Catching herself, Lucy had to remember that she wasn't a weakling as Celestia Moonright. She was a strong celestial wizard. Natsu was downstairs fighting Virgo, leaving her the freedom to show her true skills. Her face darkened, a half-smile broke on her face as magic gathered around her form. Mr. Everlue felt the magical change in the atmosphere and warily retreated. His sneer was replaced with astonishment.

"Not if I get to you, first," she replied with a deadly voice. There was a golden glow from under her shirt that intensified. Mr. Everlue was momentarily blinded before the light faded. His beady eyes almost bulged at the sight before him. There was a goat shaped man dressed in an expensive black suit. He wore shades to cover his eyes. The goat spirit straightened his tie as a half smile tugged on his thin lips.

"It has been awhile since I have been in my true form, my lady," the spirit addressed Lucy.

"It's time to show Mr. Everlue what we're made of," she replied.

"As you wish, my lady." The goat spirit straightened out his cuffs and rolled his neck. He got into a battle stance.

Lucy could only smile at getting the chance to display some of her two year training.

* * *

 **This is the latest chapter on Wattpad. We hope you have been enjoying the story so far. We're not sure when the next update will be because we have busy schedules but we'll try to get something out soon. Thus, thank you for sticking with us so far.**

 **Until next time.**


	23. Book II-Chapter 11

One thing Lucy learned from her two years of training in the dark woods was to have Plan A and Plan B. However, she did not expect the infuriating little man to have a backup plan.

The blond man's shock vanished as two other figures appeared into the study room, causing Lucy's smile to fade. Quickly, she glanced over to see Capricorn's facial expression but he appeared as calm as daylight. His stance shifted from a fighter to casualness. His action made Lucy frown.

"You didn't happen to sense them?" she asked her loyal spirit.

He lolled his head to one side. "They were standing by the door the whole time."

"And you didn't think to warn me?"

His gaze shifted from them to her. "I thought you knew there were on the sidelines all this time."

His remark sounded innocent but the small curve of his thin lips spoke otherwise. Capricorn was mocking her. "This is not training time," she said feeling annoyed. "This puts us at a disadvantage."

"Only because you can't sense their magical power."

"Never mind." She diverted her attention from the goat man to the three figures. The chubby man's sneer returned on his round face. Little did he know that Capricorn was actually warning her that the two new strangers were different from her usual opponents.

"So, what will it be, cupcake?" Mr. Everlue questioned her. "Now that you see my bodyguards, are you going to give in-."

"Hell no!" she shouted. "I rather deal with the annoying fire wizard downstairs than be with you."

The infuriating man laughed. "I see how it is. You're playing hard to get."

A shudder of revulsion went through her. "Seriously, I rather kiss a snail than to be with you."

"You'll think differently, celestial wizard."

She took a step back, momentarily, stunned by his revelation.

"Oh, don't give me that look, cupcake," he said in glee. Suspiciously, he rubbed both of his hands together. "I figured out what you are the moment he arrived here." His dark beady eyes moved to Capricorn before returning to her. "Every celestial wizard knows about the infamous Capricorn."

Lucy stepped forward but before she could ask what he meant, Capricorn was already dashing toward the chubby man. A large man, possessing long limbs with black curly hair, a square face, dark eyes partially covered by a light bandanna stepped in front of him. The tall figure's fist collided with Capricorn's one.

Mr. Everlue barked out with laughter. "Aren't they something? They're the Vanish Brothers from a guild called the Southern Wolves."

"Never heard of them," Capricorn remarked.

"I wasn't talking to you, pest." His facial expression contorted to one of rage. "Your job is to shut up and obey your master's words."

Capricorn's face darkened. It was a look she had never witnessed on his face. All of a sudden Capricorn's form blurred. Instantly, he was looming over the other celestial wizard. "You are going to regret saying that."

"Capricorn!" Lucy shouted.

The smaller stranger who stood idly by zoomed into action. He pushed Mr. Everlue away and used a strange and huge frying pan to block Capricorn's attack.

"Not so fast," he said with an almost quiet tone. His partially shaved head, long braid and unusually attired Chinese clothing came into view.

"That's the way, brother," the taller stranger cheered. "You show the human want-to-be how we fight."

The spirit craned his head to look at the taller wizard. There was something different about Capricorn's behavior that Lucy couldn't put a finger on it. The air in the room seemed to intensify, almost as if there was a magical charge. However, Lucy and her spirit weren't using magic. It must have been coming from Natsu or Virgo.

Was Capricorn reacting to one of their magical auras?

The short man with the long braid took advantage of Capricorn's distraction and lunged at him with his frying pan. The moment the goat spirit saw it coming, he didn't have enough time to block. The pan hit his body hard, causing him to crash into a shelve of books.

"Capricorn!" Lucy cried out.

Mr. Everlue snorted in laughter and looked at her. "Are you sure he's Capricorn?"

"Yes, I know my spirits!"

"I think you should think again."

"What's that suppose to mean?" She asked with a frown on her face.

"You really don't know much about celestial spirits, do you?" He shrugged his shoulders. "But then there aren't much celestial wizards left and any information known about them has been erased."

"Just get to the point-." Lucy was losing her cool. She focused all her attention on the man that she missed seeing the punch from the taller man Mr. Everlue hired as a bodyguard. The hit collided with her stomach, sending her to crash into another bookshelf. Books fell all around her. One book fell on top her head.

She heard the chubby man's laughter echoed in the study room. Capricorn was on his feet. He and other man were fighting each other. She could hear the exchanges of fists and kicks. There were times Capricorn had to pull his punches because of the huge frying pan.

 _What kind of person used a frying pan as a weapon?_ she wondered. She went to move the book from on top her head when she noticed the unusual shine it had. She picked it up with one hand, feeling the heavy weight of a hardback novel. The cover was gold. The ink wasn't the regularly printed words that books normally had but penmanship. Someone had handwritten the novel.

Lucy's eyebrows tugged together. The taller man from the Southern Wolves was instantly in front of her, but she evaded his attack. She shifted her attention from him to the book before calling out to Capricorn. "Keep them busy, Capricorn! I found what we came here for!"

"What exactly do you want the book for?" the short blond man asked.

Lucy faked her smile. "Don't worry about it."

The taller man came at her again and Lucy hugged the book to her chest before she kicked him hard. Her kicks were notorious among her celestial spirits. They knew to keep their distance when she was vexed. The man went spiraling back until he collided into his brother.

"Good one," Capricorn complimented.

Lucy beamed. "What can I say? I learned from the best."

Easily, he dodged another blow sent to him by the man shorter man with the frying pan but his eyes never wavered from her. The smile tugged on the corner of his lips. "How about we go through another learning session?"

"I don't have time. I need to investigate this book. There's something strange about it."

The curly haired man did a round house kick. Capricorn jumped into the air and landed on the Mr. Everlue's desk. She heard the chubby man spout out useless threats. But she didn't pay any more attention to his ramblings. Her fingers curled around the frame of her glasses and she quickly said an enchantment. A light beamed from the spectacles before they changed. Instantly, letters began glowing from the book. She sat down on the plush carpet cross legged and opened the book. Her normal spectacles became a gale force reading glasses, which immensely quickened her reading.

By the time Capricorn delivered his final punch to the Vanish Brothers, Lucy got up from the floor. She hugged the book tighter to her chest as she noticed Mr. Everlue watched in shock at how Capricorn took care of the Vanish Brothers.

Her pink lips curved upward while she shook her head. "That's what you get for insulting my spirit," Lucy told him, getting his attention.

"Is this all you need me for my lady?" Capricorn turned his back to the unconscious figures on the floor. He put a closed fist to his chest before he bowed down to her.

"That's all, thank you," she said.

The spirit straightened to his full height before he nodded his head. In a flash, he disappeared, leaving her alone with the chubby man.

"You really don't see it?" he asked as his beady eyes remained where Capricorn was standing.

"See what exactly?"

"That spirit is evil."

"What?" Lucy looked at Mr. Everlue like he had grown angel wings on his back. He had gone crazy.

"He is. In Celestial Wizard history, Capricorn's key is the most difficult one to control."

Lucy considered his words for a moment. When she thought about the times she summoned him, she noticed that he didn't use much of her magic. In fact, he was getting his magic from another source, which gave her enough magical energy to summon the other spirits. But of all the times Capricorn stayed by her side, she never felt anything dark from him. He didn't fall into the same category of darkness like Lord Geer and Sebastian. She dismissed his comment. "I think you have your facts wrong."

"No, seriously, he's evil," the chubby man insisted.

She shook her head. "You're delusional."

"You're wrong cupcake. He's going to drain you dry of your magic."

"Again, you're delusional," Lucy said. "If you haven't noticed, he's getting his magic elsewhere."

The blond man's eyes bulged. "But that can't..." He began spluttering words.

"Yep, so if he's evil, he won't be killing me any time soon."

"Then whoever he's getting his magic from is -." He didn't get a chance to finish his sentence. All of a sudden the magical pressure spiked into an unbearable one. The atmosphere began to heat up. Instantly, Lucy knew that Natsu was unleashing his full power. Quickly, she said one word. "Shield." A barrier formed around her body, encasing her and the book and leaving out everything else. Lucy didn't have time to make it to the chubby man. He was standing on the other side of the study room.

Bright flames engulfed the house. Beads of sweat formed on her face, at the nape of her neck and dripped down her back. Her breathing became shallower. She shut her eyes against the bright flames licking at the edges of the barrier as she cradled the book to her chest. She had to protect the book, not destroy it like what Mr. Melon requested her to do. The book was special and it was the only reason she was able to get away from the brunt of Natsu's fire.

When the fire died down, she heard the man fall down on the rug. The Vanish Brothers' bodies were charred beyond recognition. She only hoped that Mr. Everlue was still in one piece before the Magic Council retrieved him.

The items turned into the dust. The whole house looked like it was about to crumble.

This time she dashed to Mr. Everlue. "Shield," she muttered as she placed the book beside his slumped figure. The walls began to crack. The floor was shaking. Lucy bent over his body and closed her eyes. She prayed that they would make it out alive in one piece once the flooring gave away.

She inhaled a deep breath as she waited for the disaster. A few seconds passed by before she imbibed that she was still alive. Opening her eyes, she saw light from the sun peering through some tree branches. Sitting up right, she noticed she was outside as she took in more trees from the distance. There was the worn out road that she and Natsu traveled on to get to Mr. Everlue's estate.

"That was a close call," a familiar masculine voice said from next to her.

She craned her neck to look at Natsu. He didn't look worse for wear. He was standing tall and proud. There were some scratches on the sides of his face and muscled arms but everything else on him looked untouched. He put his hands on his lean hips as he stared down at her with a triumph grin.

Instantly, Lucy rose on her two feet and started poking him with a finger. "You say that's a close call! You almost killed me and the man we're suppose to be after! How reckless can you be?"

He simply caught her finger with his hand and held onto it. Lucy then felt a stab of pain on her pointer finger as she realized that she hurt herself more than him with her jabbing. What the hell was he made of? A wall of bricks?

He smirked at her, infuriating her even more. "I wasn't being reckless, Celestia." Lucy winced at her fake name. "I knew you can handle yourself well."

But with the rest of his words, Lucy started fuming. "What the heck?" She gestured to what was left of the castle with her free hand. It had fallen apart. Dust had scattered everywhere, covering the surface of where the plants used to be. The rest of the debris piled along the stone walls that still stood up. "If you did any more damage, we wouldn't be around to hand over this man to the Magic Council!"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I knew what I was doing."

"You're lucky this didn't happen two years ago," she muttered under her breath, momentarily forgetting he could hear her with his draconic senses.

"Or what?" he questioned. His voice suddenly sounded harsher.

Lucy stilled. "Did I say that out loud?"

"I believe you did." Anything that happened two years ago to wizards still haunted them. Those dark times when people hated and feared wizards was a grudge that still remained. "And you're not getting away without answering my question, Celestia. What did you mean by what happened two years ago?"

Lucy pulled futilely at her hand. She didn't want to have to answer his question.

"Celestia," he growled in warning. She could feel the rumbling from his muscled body, although she was standing a few inches away from him.

Finally, she gave up struggling against his tight grip. "You know what I mean."

Slowly, he shook his head.

He was going to make her say it and she might blow her cover if he didn't already figure out she was Lucy Heartfilia, a Celestial Wizard. Her lashes lowered. "Two years ago we would have been burned at a stake for destroying this castle by using magic."

"Is that all?" he asked slowly.

Did he know she was referring to the event two years ago when the Ismitch Town was attacked? "Yes," she breathed.

He leaned his face closer to hers until their foreheads touched. "Remember Celestia, I can always smell a lie from you."

She raised her eyes at him to see him staring intently at her. A breath froze in her lungs as she felt him puff against her cheeks. Her heart pounded loudly in her ears.

"I wonder when you can start telling me the truth," he said in a low husky tone that sent different shivers up and down her spine. Lucy closed her eyes to only realize her mistake. She could feel the heat radiating from his body as he moved closer to her. Their hips touched. She nervously swallowed before biting down on her lower lip.

A noise from behind her caused her to jump. She squeaked as she heard his chuckle. Her face turned sour.

"What in Earth land happened here?" a male asked. Lucy tugged at her hand when she realized that Natsu freed her. He stepped back with a knowing grin on his face. If anyone didn't walk into the scene, she would have injured him or found some way to have him howling in pain.

Then Lucy took in the appearance of the newcomers and her face paled. They were garbed in the Magic Council guard suits, blue and yellow striped shirts and pants with a Magic Council emblem. They held long spears in their hands as they looked at her and Natsu.

She switched glances between them and Natsu. Her tongue was paralyzed and she was rooted in her spot. These were the last people she wanted to meet because it meant they were going to detain her. She wouldn't be able to continue her journey to gather the rest of the golden keys.

"Are you a member of Fairy Tail?" another guard questioned. He was clearly looking at her.

"No," Natsu's voice pitched in. "I'm Natsu Dragneel and I'm a member of Fairy Tail."

"No way! You're Salamander!" Another guard said enthusiastically. Lucy would have smiled if fear didn't imprison her body.

"Yes, the one and only," Natsu said with a grin. He pointed to himself with his thumb.

"It's so good to meet you in the flesh! We all are big fans of yours!" the same guard continued with excitement.

"Thanks man." The guards gathered around Natsu, momentarily forgetting her. Calmly, Lucy had to remind herself that she was still wearing her disguise. When she felt like she could move, she tested out her movements by twitching her fingers. Someone was staring intently at her and she had to crane her neck to see who it was. Instantly, she saw dark spiky hair of a stranger who moved among the ranks of guards and he was heading toward her.

Lucy retreated a step. Her breathing became labored as her heart pounded faster. She rubbed her suddenly sweaty palms against her thighs. Natsu stepped in front of her, shielding her from the stranger's intense gaze.

Although he didn't realize it, his little protective movement helped her to inhale air.

"And you are?" Natsu questioned the man who walked in unannounced.

"Siegrain," the man with a deep timbre introduced himself. Did Lucy hear him right?

"Siegrain," Natsu repeated.

He was an important person in the Magic Council. The man with blue hair, a bellowing navy blue cape over a chocolate brown long sleeve shirt, black pants and black boots nodded his head. There was a black mark on his face that caused Lucy's eyes to widen. The black pattern looked similar to Sebastian's marks. Could Siegrain be associated with Lord Geer?

Lucy took another step back. Her little retreat didn't go unnoticed by the two men.

"And you two are?" Siegrain left the question open.

"I'm Natsu and this here is a possible candidate for Fairy Tail," Natsu answered. He positioned his larger body to partially conceal her from Siegrain's view.

"A possible candidate must have a name."

Natsu's head shook. "You and I both know we don't disclose names of possible members for Fairy Tail."

Siegrain's thin lips twisted into a cruel smirk. "But the Magic Council has a right to question every wizard's identity to see if they are in the Archive."

"I doubt her name will be in the Magic Council Archive since this is her first time applying in a Magical Guild."

Siegrain's midnight eyes flickered from Natsu to Lucy. She held her breath. "Is that true?"

Meekly, she nodded her head.

His smirk turned crueler if possible while his eyes glittered in interest. "Good luck."

Why did she feel like a snake slithered around her throat and was squeezing the life out of her?

"I will be looking forward to seeing you at Fairy Tail."

Again, she attempted to nod.

Finally, he looked away and Lucy found she could breathe properly. Natsu looked at her with concern. "Are you okay?"

"Yes."

"What is this?" Siegrain's voice penetrated through the mutter of the guards' voices.

"We have a Celestial Wizard. His name is Duke Everlue. His age is 45. He owns a Money Guild and is a collector of extraordinary arts."

"Natsu, the book," Lucy reminded him.

"Oh yeah!" he exclaimed before he made his way to the man still laying on ground. He had to pass through a group of Magic Council guards. Natsu bent down to retrieve the book when Siegrain halted his movement.

"What is that do you have in your hand?" he asked Natsu.

"A book we have to retrieve and destroy for our clients," Natsu answered. Siegrain looked at the book a little longer than necessary before allowing Natsu to return the book to Lucy. She felt the heavy weight of his gaze as she took the book from Natsu. She clutched the hard book to her chest.

"Sir!" a Guard's voice called to Siegrain. Lucy felt relieved when he stopped looking at her. However, her relief didn't last any longer at the next statement. "Everlue is dead."

* * *

 **It's been a little time from the last update but my sister and I can guarantee there are more chapters to come. We just hope you're enjoying the story so far. Let us know what you think so far. You let us know how we're doing. Thanks.**


	24. Book II-Chapter 12

"Seriously, I don't know what you're talking about," Lucy said as she steadily stared at the important but dangerous wizard called Siegrain. He apprehended both her and Natsu and took them into one of the buildings in Magnolia the Magic Council was temporarily occupying.

Natsu was taken into another interrogation room and still yet had to get interrogated. Lucy, on the other hand, was a different story. She didn't know how long she was in the room with the other wizard and he didn't appear as weary as her. She knew what he planned. His intent was to make her feel discomfort until the point she broke down. Little did he know, she went through worse treatment in her training when she lived in the dark forest. Sometimes, she went on a couple of days without proper nourishment.

"Let's try this again," the low baritone broke her train of thought. He lifted both his boot clatter feet, put them on the polished wooden table and cross one over his ankle. He leaned back in his comfortably cushioned chair. The celestial wizard got the wooden chair. "You expect me to believe that you didn't know about Everlue being dead?"

The blond wanted to roll her eyes to the heavens. No matter how many times she repeated herself, he pretended he didn't hear her or he would find some other detail that led back to the old celestial wizard ending up dead. "I told you everything I know."

"Did you now?" he drawled out.

In actuality, she omitted information that was relevant such as her being a celestial wizard and she was a fugitive. But what he didn't know didn't hurt him.

"What about this book?" He pointed to the book next to his propped feet.

Her eyes darted to DayBreak. The book was a magical artifact. It was a powerful spell bounded to an item, meant to protect whoever possessed it. She glanced back at Siegrain and hoped he didn't know the significance of it. As if he read her mind, he calmly replied, "Perhaps, I should have the Archive Department look into it."

She flinched and he noted it. His lips twisted into a smirk. "Now that I think about it, I have a good idea."

It seemed like he had a big ego.

He put down his feet and made to grab the book, when she reacted first. Her hands landed on DayBreak. "You can't. It's for Mr. Melon. He requested for Fairy Tail to retrieve his book."

Siegrain's eyebrows rose. "Are you sure?"

Lucy frowned. Why would he ask her that particular question?

"You didn't read your job posting properly." Her brown eyes widened. "You remember now? You're to destroy the book and in return you're promised some money and a golden key." His large hand went into his pants pocket and he pulled out a golden key.

Her nails bit harshly into her palms, but the pain was a reminder of her suffering to get stronger. She couldn't give away her real identity just to get the golden key.

"And from your expression, you know what this is," he said as he raised the key into the air. The light from the ceiling glinted off on it. The golden piece was within her reach but at the same time it was untouchable. "I can only imagine what the celestial spirit must be feeling now that the owner is dead."

Lucy felt a tug in her heart. She didn't want others to die but one of the deadly costs to obtaining the golden keys was the original owner had to die. She bowed her head, unable to hold back the tears in her eyes.

"I hit a nerve."

She had enough. She pounded a hand down on the table while she burst out of the chair she occupied. "Don't you get it? Someone died!"

He raised his eyebrows, looking unaffected by her outburst.

"How can you sit there and act like nothing happened? Don't you have a heart?" she accused him. A tear leaked down her face. A person she didn't know died but it didn't change the fact that someone died. And the worse part about everything was it was only the beginning of the war. There were more deaths to come.

"Of course," he halted as he sat forward in his chair. His eyes, a dark green now that she got a closer view of them, turned grim. "That's why you're in here. You're being accused of murder."

Lucy's mouth fell open. Her knees buckled and she fell down onto the chair. It was a good thing the chair was sturdy.

He leaned back into his fancy chair once more, letting the information he shared digest into the blond's mind. "Why did you think you're here?"

"I..." she bit her bottom lip as another tear escaped her eye. "I thought you were questioning me."

He chuckled, causing her to stare at him in disbelief. "You must be naïve." Then he paused and stared at her intently, "Or you're good at acting."

Air froze in her lungs as her heart pumped harder in her chest. Did he see through her disguise?

She braced her hands on the armrests of her chair. "Whichever one it is, you were arrested for murder."

Furiously, she shook her head. "That can't be."

Water started to leak down her pale cheeks. She appeared disheveled with messy blond hair and unkept clothing. Then, she looked at him, her expression completely unguarded. "Then Natsu is also arrested for murder?"

Siegrain's lip tugged upward in a half-smile while he clasped both hands behind his head. He looked relaxed as he calmly regarded her. "He's a different matter."

"How?"

"Well..." His lips fully blossomed into a deadly smile. His voice was like velvet over a sharp blade. "He is under magical protection and he is registered in the Council Archive. You're not."

"But I'm applying for a position in Fairy Tail, doesn't that count?" Lucy sounded like she was pleading, but she was in a dire situation and if she didn't try to talk her way out of it, then she was going to be in Magic Council's clutches.

"As the regulation goes, you're not protected if you're not part of a magical guild."

Her eyelashes drifted downward. "Can't I just complete my job and see if I've been accepted in Fairy Tail?"

He chuckled again, his broad chest shaking slightly. Siegrain was truly handsome, except Lucy didn't like him. He was taking away her freedom she worked so hard to earn. "Even if you were accepted, it's still not enough to protect you. Your mission ended in complete failure."

And right before the Council member, her expression crumbled. Tears spilled freely from her eyes. The celestial wizard didn't glance up at him as dejection swamped her. Despite being physically stronger, not much changed the past two years. She still needed someone's help, but this time help wasn't coming.

She bowed her head in defeat.

"How about we start over?" he questioned, his tone remaining placid.

Lucy had no choice. Slowly, she nodded her head.

"Good girl," he complimented. "Now, is your real name Celestia Moonright?"

She moved her head side-to-side.

A smile of triumph spread across Siegrain's lips. He had her right where he wanted her. "Very good. You see, telling the truth isn't a hard thing to do."

He leaned closer, as far as to briefly touch her face. The slight brush of his rough fingertips on her cheek caused her to look at him with rounded eyes.

"What is your real name?" he questioned her softly.

"Lu...Lucy." She closed her eyes while more tears stained her chalky white cheeks. "Lucy Heartfilia."

* * *

Natsu wasn't aware of how many hours had gone by. He was left alone in a room with a polished table and two chairs. One chair was cushioned and it had wheels, the other one was wooden. On the walls, there were mirrors. He was aware that people were watching on the other side, however, no one appeared in the room to question him.

At first, he toyed around with the cushioned chair. While sitting on it, he went back and forth in the room numerous times. Even twirled around in circles. At times, he hit the walls. But he grew bored and decided to sit on the table. He went as far as standing on the table and touching the ceiling with his fingers.

Still no one entered the room.

Then, he began to kick the walls all around the room.

"Come on, someone should be in here by now," he talked to the glass, only his reflection kept him company. "How long are you going to keep me in here?"

Still there was no response.

Tired of waiting, he flickered fire in between his fingers. "I wonder what will happen if I decide to touch the walls with this."

He hovered a flame by the table. "Or maybe I should light the chair or table on fire. Do you think someone will come by?" He moved the flame closer to the cushioned chair, despising it because the interrogator got the better chair.

Suddenly, the door opened and a red head peered through the edge of it. Brown eyes narrowed on him. "What do you think you're doing?" a familiar voice asked him.

His eyes widened. Momentarily forgetting the fire crackling between his fingers, he questioned the person. "Erza?"

The person gave him a stern look. "Seriously, if you burn this place down, Fairy Tail will be more in trouble than it already is and I will leave your sorry ass to rot in the Magic Council Prison."

Realizing that he didn't put out his fire, he quickly brought his hand to his mouth and blew it out. Then his form blurred as he hugged the woman. Startled, she lost her balance and Natsu toppled over her. Being locked up in a room with only a mirror for company could change a person.

"You're a sight for sour eyes."

"How long did they have you in this room?" She pushed him back and rose to her feet. She dusted the invisible dust off her armor and clothes.

"I don't know," he answered while standing up.

Her eyebrows tugged together on her forehead. "So you weren't aware that you were alone?"

"What?" He was astonished. He thought there were people watching him from the other side of the mirror.

"Wait? Where is the other girl who was with you?"

"They took her into another room," he confessed while it was his turn to frown at the weird situation they were in.

"Damn it!" she swore. Her fist hit a wall hard enough to cause cracks.

He blinked his eyes at her. "What's wrong?"

"You're aware that she's not who she says she is?"

He nodded his head. "I shared my suspicions with the old man."

She inhaled a deep breath while putting a hand to her forehead. "You mean Master Makarov."

He smirked at her. "I won't call him that."

"That's because you lack manners."

"Aww, now you sound like Celestia."

Her hand went to his face to stop him from saying anything else. "We have to find her and I need you to scent her out."

"Why?"

"She's in grave danger."

That changed Natsu's mind. If she was the one he was thinking; the same girl he met two years ago then he had to save her. Originally, he wanted her to join Fairy Tail so she could be better protected but she insisted of traveling on her own.

Now, was the time he could prove her wrong. "All right," he agreed. He shut his eyes and tilted his head back. His nostrils flared as he looked for her signature scent that set her apart from the rest of wizards. She smelled like the sunshine.

Getting a whiff of bright energy, he opened his eyes and began to move in the direction toward the bright energy. There were guards standing in the hallway. Erza placed a hand Natsu's shoulder, stilling him. His hands had clenched into fists at his sides, ready to attack the guards.

She gave him the eye, warning him to let her handle the situation. He stepped back and let her take lead. She walked by the guards when a spear blocked her.

"Halt. State who you are and your reason for being here," one guard demanded.

Erza procured a document from thin air. "This is a document signed by Master Makarov from Fairy Tail to release the two members you have in your custody."

The man's eyes widened. "You may pass."

He went back to his post while Erza and Natsu past him and the other guards. She kept out the document in question and showed it to any other guard who asked for it.

However, as the fire dragon slayer got closer to the person they were searching for, he noticed the smell of the sunlight was being dampened by another stronger magical aura. He didn't like it. "We better hurry."

"What's wrong?"

"Her scent is changing."

The red headed woman nodded her head and quickened her footsteps, getting the fact that the girl was in danger.

There was a polished wooden door with a golden knob ahead of them. Two guards stood on each side. Their forms stiffened when they observed the way Erza strode to them. She raised the document in the air with one hand before they could ask her questions. Her other hand went to the door knob but the man on her right stopped her.

"Who sent you?" he questioned the red head skeptically.

"I have approval from Master Makarov in Fairy Tail."

The guard's face contorted with suspicion. "Did you get approval from anyone here?"

"As a matter of fact Master Makarov's approval is all I need since he is one of the wizard saints."

Natsu, who remained quiet on the sidelines, was astonished. The way their Master acted in Fairy Tail, one would forget how powerful he really was.

The man began to sputter nonsense, as a means to prevent them from getting to their goal, when the fire dragon slayer felt girl's magical power dimmed to a potentially low rate. Whoever was in the room with her was treacherous.

"We don't have time for this," Natsu growled. With ease, he overtook Erza and with a tremendous kick the door careened to the floor in pieces. He heard someone cry out but couldn't make out the girl's form in the scattered dust. The moment the smoke cleared he was greeted with a sight he would never forget.

On one side, there was a blond-haired girl on her knees. Her hair was disheveled, her clothes rumpled. Tears stained her face as she looked at him with lost eyes. On the other side of the room, a blue-haired man sat on his chair looking relaxed by the mess in the room. One long leg crossed another while his hands clasped casually behind his head. There was an eerie smile on his face.

"Welcome." A low, masculine baritone echoed in the room.

The red headed female passed the fire dragon slayer, her facial expression appeared disturbed. "Erza," he whispered.

"Jellal," a name left her lips.

"It's good to see you again, Erza Scarlet," the man, who Natsu knew as Siegrain, replied to her.

* * *

 **Sorry, it's been a long time since our last update, a whole year to be exact. Life happens but my sister and me will try our best to update when we can. We have plans written out for each chapter of this book, so it's the writing process we're working on. We hope you enjoy the chapter and please do let us know what you think so far or if you liked reading this chapter. Have a good day! And thanks!**


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